3 Starting Linemen Remain Sidelined at Seahawks Thursday Practice
With just three days left until kickoff at Lambeau Field, the Seahawks may have a bit of a crisis on its hands trying to field a quality offensive line against the Packers on Sunday.
For a second straight practice, Duane Brown, George Fant, and Mike Iupati were non-participants for Seattle, while center Joey Hunt remained limited by a fibula injury. All four players have been regulars on the injury report for weeks, though Fant has only dealt with numerous minor ailments.
All eyes will be on Brown, who underwent knee surgery three weeks ago and sat out the past two games. According to coach Pete Carroll on Wednesday, the veteran tackle has done off-field work the past few days despite not returning to practice, an encouraging development in his recovery process.
Even if he doesn’t practice on Friday, Seattle will likely wait until the day of the game to make a final decision on Brown’s status. Given the stakes of the game, it wouldn’t be surprising if he tries to give it a go, especially if Fant can’t work his way back from a groin injury that forced him to sit the first two practices of the week.
In the unlikely event neither Brown nor Fant can play, the Seahawks will face a serious predicament. Jamarco Jones played left tackle at Ohio State and started for Brown in Week 16, but he replaced Iupati at left guard in last weekend’s 17-9 win over the Eagles.
If Iupati recovers enough from a neck stinger to suit up, Jones can easily slide out to left tackle. But the veteran hasn’t made progress this week and Carroll indicated he was still having issues on Monday, so he may not be ready to play either.
Under those circumstances, Seattle would need to decide where to start Jones and act accordingly at the other position on the left side of the line. If he stays at guard, Chad Wheeler was promoted from the practice squad on Wednesday and could be thrust into a starting role in the playoffs.
Though that might sound like a disaster, Wheeler did start 14 games for the Giants during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He offers starting experience that no other backups on the current roster possess.
If Seattle values protecting Russell Wilson’s blind side, Jones could slide out to his natural position at left tackle, but the team would be stuck with Jordan Roos and Phil Haynes as starting options at guard. Those two players have appeared in a combined 15 games with zero starts and 48 offensive snaps.
While the injury news may look bleak up front, there’s plenty of reason for optimism and the aforementioned chaos would be in the worst-case scenario. The fact Brown has been upping his workload this week opens the door for him to play, while Fant and Iupati are dealing with injuries that both players could try to play through, depending on the progress made in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Ultimately, the Seahawks will have a better idea where things stand on Friday and it’s likely they won’t determine the starting lineup until hours before kickoff.
