Seahawks’ Kenneth Walker will play. And forget that Jordyn Brooks is ‘questionable’ to
Kenneth Walker bounced around playfully. He shimmied a bit to Outkast blaring over the speakers beside the field.
The lead running back is full go, playing in the Seahawks’ regular-season finale at Arizona Sunday (1:25 p.m., channel 13).
Seattle’s needy defense is going to get linebacker Jordyn Brooks back into the middle of it, but maybe not tackle Jarran Reed.
Brooks missed last week’s game with an ankle injury. He was stretching off the side of the field with a large ban and a trainer at the start of practice Friday open to the media.
The team listed him officially as “questionable” for Sunday.
But after Brooks looked good moving in practice Friday, coach Pete Carroll said: “He’s playing.”
Reed likely will be a game-time decision. He has a large bruise on his knee. The veteran did not practice Friday.
“We are going to wait it out,” Carroll said, knowing lead back James Connor and the Cardinals are likely to run early and often at the middle of Seattle’s defense Sunday. “He’s got a nasty shot on his knee that’s a big bruise and it is hampering him some.
“We’ll see if we can get something done by game day.”
Reed is key to the middle of the defensive line that mostly got run over by the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend. The Steelers rushed 46 times for 202 yards on the NFL’s 30th-ranked run defense, so ranked for the second consecutive season.
Seattle did not put Walker on the injury list for the Cardinals game. Walker practiced Thursday on a limited basis because of a shoulder issue he played through last week. He missed practice on Wednesday, the team’s first full day on the field following Walker rushing 10 times for 53 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks’ 30-23 home loss to Pittsburgh.
That defeat last weekend has Seattle up against long odds to make the playoffs for the 10th time in 12 season. The Seahawks (8-8) need to beat the Cardinals for the second time this season and have the Chicago Bears (7-9) win at Green Bay (8-8) to eliminate the Packers. That game at Lambeau Field begins the same time the Seahawks play the Cardinals, who have quarterback Kyler Murray and Conner this time.
Murray and Conner were out injured when Seattle beat Arizona 20-10 at Lumen Field Oct. 22.
Leonard Williams was back practicing for the Seahawks at the start of drills open to the media Friday. He is not on the injury report and will play Sunday. The veteran defensive tackle missed practice Thursday because of a shoulder issue.
This could be the final game of his contract the Seahawks inherited from New York when they traded second- and fifth-round draft choices to the Giants to add him to the thin interior of the defensive line in late October. Williams could become a free agent in March, and indicated last month he would like to explore the market he will have this spring.
Right guard Phil Haynes came off injured reserve with a return-to-practice designation this week. But he will miss Sunday’s game. He practiced one day then missed Thursday. He hasn’t played since mid-October because of a toe injury.
Rookie Anthony Bradford is ready to start his 10th game this season on Sunday, at right guard.
Special-teams captain Nick Bellore is questionable to play. The 34-year-old veteran has a knee injury.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 1:21 PM.
