Pete Carroll: Jordyn Brooks will play in Seahawks opener. Jamal Adams taking a next step
Jordyn Brooks is back to practice, way before normal recovery time for his injury.
Jamal Adams is coming back to practice, in a limited way.
When and where are they going to play for these Seahawks?
Brooks fully participated in 11-on-11 scrimmaging in practice Tuesday for the first time since the linebacker tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee Jan. 1. He had surgery three weeks later. That’s seven months of recovery from an injury and operation that typically takes nine to 12 months to return from.
Coach Pete Carroll said following the practice that Brooks is going to play in Seattle’s opening game of the season Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams.
“Isn’t that great? So good,” Carroll said. “He felt great about being back out here playing football. He’s worked really, really, really hard to get back. ...
“He’s going to be ready to play, we think. For sure. I cannot imagine — unless there’s a setback.
“It just really warms your heart. Because it was a long haul.”
Adams was thought at the start of this training camp last month to be ahead of Brooks in the safety’s return from a torn quadriceps tendon from the team’s opener last September. He’s actually behind.
But Carroll said Tuesday Adams likely will come off the physically-unable-to-perform list Wednesday or Thursday to participate in the 40 or so plays of morning walk-through practices.
That’s a first step but far from a definitive one for Adams to join Brooks in playing in the opener in three weeks. Brooks took that same first step last week coming off the PUP list and doing morning walkthroughs only, watching the main afternoon practices.
Adams is still iffy to begin the season in the middle of Seattle’s defense Sept. 10. If and when he returns, the Seahawks are looking at using him, Pro Bowl veteran Quandre Diggs and offseason acquisition Julian Love from the New York Giants in three-safety schemes. Adams would play closer to the line of scrimmage as a hybrid linebacker and pass rusher in that alignment.
“That’s a big step for him to go forward,” Carroll said of Adams in walkthroughs this week, “but it isn’t a step that means he’s going to be back out there practicing yet.
“But we want to get him in the flow — again, looking at the weeks that we have to build up and preparation time. He’s ready to do that.”
Brooks was an outside linebacker his first two seasons in the NFL with Seattle. He was an inside linebacker last season, after the Seahawks released six-time All-Pro Bobby Wagner.
After Brooks tore his ACL, the Seahawks signed back Wagner for 2023 after his year away with the Rams. Seattle also signed inside linebacker Devin Bush in free agency from Pittsburgh in March. Wagner and Bush have been the starting inside linebackers, with pass rushers Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe the outside backers in the Seahawks’ 3-4 all training camp.
Tuesday in practice, Brooks got scrimmage play with the starting defense with Wagner and Bush, dropping into pass coverage.
“He’s going to play next to Bobby in the base scheme and in the nickel scheme when he gets the chance to get in there,” Carroll said of Brooks. “They are not playing the same spot. He will share some time with Devin, at times. And we will see if they all can play sometimes.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 4:25 PM.
