The Seahawks’ injury list has reached the point where the next-man-up conversation is no longer a talking point. It’s the job description.
That leaves Seattle needing more from a handful of players who are already carrying real weight, and the pressure is only going to grow with the roster stretched thin. Drew Lock and Josh Jones are the obvious names, so the focus lands elsewhere: on the players who now have to absorb even more of the load.
At running back, Price has to be better. There are plenty of reasons the Seahawks aren’t moving the ball on the ground right now, and Brian Fleury and the offensive line deserve plenty of blame.
The absence of a true fullback matters, too. But Price also has to squeeze more out of the chances he gets.
Last Monday was his first game back from a significant injury, so some rust made sense. Still, the Seahawks need more than what he gave them, especially with the blocking situation looking shaky again this week.
If the run game is going to find any balance, it has to start with Price making the most of what’s there.
The same kind of urgency applies at receiver, where Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already doing all he can. Asking him for more would be too much.
Cooper Kupp is old. Rashid Shaheed is injured.
Montorie Foster Jr isn’t ready to produce against NFL defenses. That leaves Tory Horton as the one receiver who might be able to function as a real No. 2 right now, even though the results haven’t shown up yet.
Some blamed Horton for Sam Darnold’s first interception against the Denver Broncos because of a bad route, though that criticism doesn’t fully hold up. What is fair to say is that Horton hasn’t impressed much this season, especially when it comes to contested catches.
With the Seahawks leaning on 11 personnel lately, they need actual production from him.
Up front on defense, Jarran Reed is being asked to carry more than he probably should. Leonard Williams and Brandon Pili are out, which leaves Byron Murphy II, Reed, and Rylie Mills on the interior.
Murphy is expected to bring it, as he always does, but Mills has been a major problem this season. He can’t hold up against the run, which leaves pass rushing as his only real path to helping.
The issue is that the Seahawks aren’t creating enough of those chances. That puts even more on Reed to stabilize things early, at least until Seattle can maybe build a lead.
And then there’s Derick Hall. Plenty of Seahawks fans have spent the last couple months coming after him, but that’s not the view here.
Hall has been fine this season and has earned the contract the team gave him in the offseason. Still, this is the kind of week where he needs to go beyond fine.
The Seahawks couldn’t get pressure on Caleb Williams on Monday, and with Uchenna Nwosu still out, Dante Fowler Jr not being trusted by the coaching staff, and Big Cat unavailable for edge snaps, Hall is going to be on the field a lot. A few hits on Minshew tomorrow would do plenty to change the conversation.
In Other News...
Seahawks Defense Has A Film Problem Fans Will Notice Fast
The Seahawks defense left plenty to sort through after the loss to the Bears, and the film points to a few issues that were hard to miss. Chicago stayed committed to the run on first down, then kept Seattle in uncomfortable spots on second down, where the Bears were able to stay on schedule and avoid obvious passing downs.
Caleb Williams also found answers in the passing game, especially between the numbers and on deeper throws, which made the Bears offense tougher to pin down than Seattle would have liked. The numbers from the game line up with broader NFL trends in a way that should get the Seahawks attention, because this was less about one busted play than a defense that struggled to get off the field in the moments that mattered most. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Roster Shuffle Hints At Injury Plan Before Cardinals Game
The Seahawks made a small but telling roster move this week, releasing running back Velus Jones Jr. and bringing him back on the practice squad to open a spot on the 53-man roster. It is the kind of transaction that usually says as much about the injury report as it does about the player involved, especially with Seattle trying to sort through multiple health issues before its Week 9 meeting with the Arizona Cardinals.
Seattle also added quarterback Adrian Martinez and linebacker Jamie Sheriff to the practice squad, giving the team a little more depth as it navigates the week. The open roster spot is expected to be filled by a player from one of the injured positions, which suggests the Seahawks are already bracing for some shuffling before they get to Arizona. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Injury Trouble Just Hit Two Spots They Cant Afford
The Seahawks are dealing with fresh injury complications in two places they can least afford them, and both come with immediate lineup implications. Guard Quenton Nelson is set for a minor knee procedure and is expected to be out week-to-week, though Seattle is not planning to place him on injured reserve, according to coach Mike Macdonald. The team also had to sort through a handful of other injury updates and lineup changes as it tried to keep the depth chart intact.
At quarterback, the situation is just as uneasy. Drew Lock will start against Arizona with Sam Darnold sidelined, even as Lock has been limited in practice by an elbow issue. For a Seahawks team trying to steady itself, the timing of those absences only adds to the pressure heading into a game where every healthy body matters. [Read more 🡒]