Jamal Adams, two other Seahawks defenders out for Miami. Chris Carson, two others iffy
The Seahawks’ overrun defense will be missing one of its two All-Pros and three starters in all at Miami.
Safety Jamal Adams, a frequent blitzer and do-it-all dynamo so far this season to help the team’s meager pass rush, will not play for the Seahawks Sunday against the Dolphins. The groin he strained in Seattle’s win over Dallas last weekend has pained him all this week. Friday was the third consecutive day he did not practice, and the team lists Adams as officially out for Sunday.
Lano Hill is questionable to play. The team lists the backup strong safety behind Adams. That’s because of a back issue he’s had since the morning of the Cowboys game he missed.
That leaves Ryan Neal as the likely starter next to Quandre Diggs at safety. The team signed Neal from the practice squad to the active roster this week. Neal, a roster exemption from the practice squad last week, intercepted Dak Prescott’s last pass in the end zone on the game’s next-to-last play to preserve the Seahawks’ victory over Dallas.
Starting cornerback Quinton Dunbar will not play because of a knee injury. He is out for the second consecutive game. The Miami native will be replaced by Tre Flowers, Seattle’s 2018 and ‘19 starter at right cornerback.
Carroll hinited Adams and Dunbar could be out next week for the Sunday night game against Minnesota (0-3), as well. The Seahawks have a bye after that game. So Adams and Dunbar may get three weeks off, like a short-term injured-reserve stint but while keeping them on the roster, in case they improve.
“It’s part of our thinking that the bye is coming. So it depends how the guys are,” Carroll said following Friday’s light practice. “We aren’t going to bring them back until they are ready, but there’s an opportunity, you know, if a guy’s just barely at the end of the week just making it back that taking that extra week could be worthwhile.
“We’ll just have to gauge that as we go. Those guys, in particular, they are dying to play. So, as soon as they are ready they are going to jump out.”
Shaquill Griffin, the opposite cornerback, is officially questionable. But coach Pete Carroll said the Pro Bowl selection last season “is ready to go” for Sunday. Griffin’s had a sore shoulder.
Former Dolphin Linden Stephens is available at cornerback.
Rookie first-round draft choice Jordyn Brooks is the third defensive starter out for Sunday. He made his first career start last week, at strongside linebacker after Bruce Irvin needed season-ending knee surgery. Brooks sprained his knee against the Cowboys.
Cody Barton is likely to replace Brooks in Miami, as the 2019 second-round pick did late in the Dallas game when Seattle was in base 4-3 defense. That’s been 30% of the time so far this season.
Barton missed some practice time early this week with a quadriceps injury. That has healed to the point he’s not on the Seahawks’ injury list for the game.
All this makes a Seattle defense that has allowed 1,292 yards passing, an NFL record through three games, even thinner. Veteran Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will be targeting it. The 37-year-old biding time until top pick Tua Tagovailoa is ready to start in Miami is 10th among active quarterbacks in the league in pass attempts (4,884), yards passing (33,565) and touchdowns passing (214).
Two Seahawks starters are questionable on offense: lead running back Chris Carson and rookie right guard Damien Lewis. But Carroll was positive on both playing Sunday.
The coach said Carson “had a good week.
“We will go all the way to game time to make sure that he feels really confident and all, but he looked good. He took plays (Thursday) and (Friday).
Carroll has been positive all week about Carson’s chances to play on a sprained knee. He has been a limited participant in practice.
Carson’s backup Carlos Hyde was wearing a red, no-contact jersey in practice Friday for the second consecutive day. He is questionable with a shoulder injury, but Carroll said “he got through the whole week,” indicating he may be able to play, too.
Rookie DeeJay Dallas from the University of Miami is ready for his first NFL action, in the stadium he played college ball, if Carson or Hyde can’t play.
The coach said Lewis “made it through, did a marvelous job” practicing all week on the ankle he sprained against Dallas.
“He didn’t even flinch,” Carroll said.
So it appears the fourth-round pick will start again at right guard Sunday. Jordan Simmons is available if Lewis can’t play.
Special-teams mainstay Neiko Thorpe is questionable with a hip injury. Carroll has said Thorpe thinks he can play.
Miami is likely to be without Byron Jones for the second consecutive game because of a groin injury. The Dolphins list their $82.5 million cornerback as doubtful. He did not play last week in their 31-13 win at Jacksonville on a Thursday night.
The Dolphins’ defense is next-to-last in the NFL in yards allowed per pass play and 25th in pass defense.
With that, and all of the injuries on Seattle’s ransacked defense, record-setting Russell Wilson may have to outscore everyone for the Seahawks to win.
Again.
The forecast for Sunday in Miami says the Seahawks’ already thin depth is going to get even more tested by the weather: 87 degrees, 80% humidity and a 15% chance of rain.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 1:19 PM.
