Carlos Dunlap in uniform to play for Seahawks at Washington, Brandon Shell inactive
The Seahawks had their best pass-rushing defensive lineman at Washington.
But they were without their starting right tackle against a strong pass rush.
Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Carlos Dunlap was in uniform Sunday against the NFC East-leading Washington Football Team. He had missed Seattle’s previous game with a sprained foot he’s had since the Nov. 30 game at Philadelphia.
Dunlap had four sacks in his first four games after arriving in a trade from Cincinnati in late October. The fifth game, he hurt his foot against the Eagles.
Brandon Shell was inactive. The strong right tackle missed his third game in four weeks. He has a high-ankle sprain.
Cedric Ogbuehi was the right tackle during pregame warmups, readying for his second start since 2017. Cincinnati’s former number-one pick struggled in two previous games filling in for Shell. Sunday, was was up against Chase Young, Montez Sweat and one of the best pass rushers Seattle had faced all season. Washington entered Sunday with 40 sacks, fourth-most in the NFL.
The rest of the Seahawks inactive players Sunday were no surprise: reserve wide receiver Penny Hart, reserve safety Damarious Randall, injured backup guard Phil Haynes and reserve defensive end Jonathan Bullard.
Rashaad Penny was active for his first game in 12 months. Penny recently returned to practice for the first time since he tore knee ligaments 12 months ago.
Penny, lead rusher Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde active Sunday gave the Seahawks their most stocked supply of running backs in years, certainly for this late in a season.
This time last year, Seattle was calling Marshawn Lynch out of retirement to play running back. He arrived on Christmas Eve—and unforgettably proclaimed: “Merry New Year!”
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 9:33 AM.
