Deciphering a lengthy Seahawks injury list heading into Panthers game, and new tight end
The Seahawks’ longest injury list of the young season warrants some explanations.
Eight starters did not participate in practice on Wednesday, four days before Seattle (1-1) hosts the Carolina Panthers (0-2) at Lumen Field (Sunday 1:05 p.m., channel 7).
Those missing, and their injuries:
- Tackle Charles Cross, sprained big toe on his right foot
- Tight end Will Dissly, shoulder
- Wide receiver DK Metcalf, ribs
- Nickel defensive back Coby Bryant, toe
- Safety Julian Love, hamstring
- Nose tackle Jarran Reed, groin
- Cornerback Riq Woolen, chest
- Linebacker Boye Mafe, knee
Reserve linebacker Devin Bush also missed practice. He missed the team’s win at Detroit last weekend with an injured shoulder.
Charles Cross’ status
Signs are this isn’t going to be the week Cross returns. He missed the Lions game.
“It’s a day-to-day observation to see how he’s making progress,” Carroll said. “He wasn’t in (the team’s light morning) walkthrough today.”
The Seahawks signed 41-year-old Jason Peters to their practice squad last week, off his couch watching football at home in east Texas. He hadn’t practiced since January, with the Dallas Cowboys.
It doesn’t appear the former All-Pro and Super Bowl-champion with the Eagles will make his Seattle debut replacing Cross at left tackle this week.
“I don’t know if it’s realistic or not. We’re taking that one week at a time,” Carroll said. “He came out of the first week pretty good, didn’t feel too stoved up at all, and we’ll see how this week goes. Two to three weeks is probably, at least, what it should take.
“Maybe by the end of the week he could be available. But by next week, if he makes it through and everything goes smoothly, then we’ll really be talking about his availability.”
Peters said he has an agreement with Carroll: When Peters says he’s ready, he’ll play.
“Yeah, I came here to play,” he said. “As long as we keep winning, I’m going to keep working to get my legs back under me. When I’m ready to roll, I’ll tell Pete and we’ll start rollin’.
“Once I feel it, I’ll go talk to Pete and get it rollin’.”
That could be at right tackle, next week at the New York Giants. Starting right tackle Abe Lucas is on injured reserve until at least Seattle’s game at Cincinnati Oct. 15.
The upshot to all this: Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan appear likely to start again at left and right tackle, respectively, against Carolina. They earned that with their outstanding play last weekend at Detroit.
A new tight end
Dissly’s injury was partly why the Seahawks signed rookie tight end Brady Russell onto the active roster off Philadelphia’s practice squad Wednesday.
“Will is a little banged up. He’s had a shoulder that’s been bothering him,” Carroll said.
The coach noted tight end Noah Fant “took a good shot” in the ribs from a Lions tackler, presumably on his 16-yard catch to begin overtime. But Fant practiced fully Wednesday.
Russell played through last season at the University of Colorado. The son of a former Marine pilot with a birthplace of the Camp Pendleton, California, Marine base said blocking is his game.
“I probably take — I don’t if I should say ‘more’ pride in the blocking,” Russell said at his locker before his first Seahawks practice. “It’s kind of the gritty work no one wants to do. But I like it and take pride in it, because I know that will keep you around.”
Of Seattle’s three tight ends, all of which the offense used extensively and often at the same time last weekend against Detroit, Dissly is the blocker. Fant and Colby Parkinson are receiving-first (and -last) tight ends.
Metcalf, Mafe, Woolen statuses
Of the eight starters who did not practice Wednesday, two are on track to start Sunday against the Panthers. That’s Metcalf and Mafe.
Metcalf was laughing in his weekly press conference and in the locker room before practice Wednesday. Laughing through sore ribs is as good a sign as any that he will start against the Panthers.
So is this:
“He’s going to make it through the week. He’s going to be all right,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We’re going to take care of him, but he’s going to be all right.”
Mafe, the starting outside linebacker, missed the Detroit game. Usual third-down pass rusher Darrell Taylor played for Mafe.
Carroll said Mafe and Bush, who plays on special teams while backing up Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks as inside linebackers, will play against Carolina.
“We’re counting on them,” Carroll said. “They’re going today and we’re counting on them to be available if they can make it through the week. We’re going to have to see how that goes. Day to day but they’re both going full-go today.”
Then they didn’t practice.
The coach was less certain about Woolen’s prospects for the week. He left the first half of the Lions game with an injury in his upper chest.
“He’s pretty sore. It’s going to be a pretty good recovery for him to get back,” Carroll said.
The coach said the team doesn’t think Woolen’s injury warrants him going on injured reserve. But it could be the week-four game at the New York Giants Oct. 2 before he has a better chance of playing.
That makes Tre Brown, a Seahawks hero in Detroit, on Woolen’s usual right side and rookie Devon Witherspoon in his second start on the left Seattle’s likely cornerbacks this weekend.
Reed and the run defense
Carroll didn’t mention Reed’s groin injury Wednesday when the coach was again describing how important the nose tackle is to Seattle’s rushing defense that will get a test this weekend. Carolina determinedly runs the ball, to keep pressure off rookie number-one pick Bryce Young having to win games by himself in his first month as an NFL quarterback.
Reed has been the centerpiece to what has so far been an improved Seahawks run defense this season. The Rams had 92 yards on 40 carries in Seattle’s opener. The Lions ran 27 times for 102 yards on the Seahawks. They knocked lead running back David Montgomery out of Seattle’s 37-31 overtime win early in the fourth quarter last weekend.
Carroll credits defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt’s — and by authority and influence, Carroll’s — emphasis on stopping the run as the reason for the Seahawks improving so far from 30th in rushing defense in 2022.
“Everything that we’re doing right now is a big improvement,” Carroll said. “The containment and the perimeter play has really cleaned up; that’s minimizing the breakout plays is one. The aggressive and the toughness of the guys up front. It’s fitting together and we’ve been very aggressive with how we’ve been playing it and hopefully we can keep rolling.”
Seattle is third in the NFL allowing just 2.9 yards per rush. Only Tennessee (2.7) and Indianapolis (2.6) have been better through two games.
Carroll has been talking up Reed’s importance since the start of training camp. He did again Wednesday — without mentioning this groin issue would keep him from playing against the running Panthers (127 rushing yards per game, ninth in the league).
Reed, 30 and in his eighth NFL season, has played in 72% and 64% of Seattle’s defensive snaps.
“Absolutely, he’s been a huge factor for us,” Carroll said. “We’re counting on him. He’s a big part of the scheme.
“Hopefully he can keep going and do his thing.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 6:22 PM.
