Jamal Adams will not play for Seahawks again vs Vikings. Another injured starting DB might
The Seahawks are putting do-it-all Jamal Adams on a extended hiatus now, to have him for the longer term.
Coach Pete Carroll said his All-Pro safety will miss his second consecutive game this weekend. Adams will not play Sunday night when Seattle (4-0) hosts the Minnesota Vikings (1-3) because of his strained groin.
“Jamal’s still going to be another week away, unfortunately. He’s not going to make it back,” coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday.
But it’s really another two more weeks away for Adams. And that’s the Seahawks’ idea—though Adams isn’t exactly kicked back going along with it.
He posted on his social-media account during his team’s win at Miami last weekend that he was at home watching the game on television while wearing his Seahawks game helmet.
Yet it makes sense for Adams to not play again this week.
Seattle has its bye next week, after the Vikings game. That means Adams will get from the fourth quarter of the Seahawks’ win over Dallas Sept. 27 until Seattle’s game coming off the bye week, Oct. 25 at Arizona, to heal his groin.
They’d rather have Adams for the final 11 games plus what they hope is their eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons than the Vikings game Sunday night with the possibility of furthering injuring a muscle a safety particularly needs for all the sideline-to-sideline running he does in the open field 60-plus plays each game.
“There is that big week coming up, the bye week, that can work in different ways for us,” Carroll said, thinking of not only Adams but running back Carlos Hyde (shoulder) and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (on injured reserve with a foot injury).
Carroll said the team also expects Dorsett back after the bye for that game in two weeks at the Cardinals.
Adams missing the Vikings game means Ryan Neal, who almost quit during three seasons on practice squads, will start for the second straight week at strong safety. Neal has became something of an instant, and wholly unlikely, sensation filling-in for Adams and number-two strong safety Lano Hill, who has also missed the last two games because of a back injury. Against Minnesota and quarterback Kirk Cousins, Neal will try to get an interception in a third consecutive game.
Dunbar will try to play
Carroll said starting right cornerback Quinton Dunbar completed a light, walk-through practice Wednesday morning and will practice in the fuller workout Thursday.
“We’ll see how that fits for him coming back,“ the coach said.
“He’s determined to try to get back for this ball game.”
