Colby Parkinson Re-Injures Foot, Out Indefinitely
One day before kicking off the exhibition play in Las Vegas, the Seahawks have been dealt their first major injury blow of the season.
Speaking with reporters following Friday's practice, coach Pete Carroll indicated tight end Colby Parkinson re-injured the foot that cost him half of his rookie season and he's "going to be out a bit." No timetable was provided for his potential return, but as reported by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on Saturday morning, Parkinson won't need surgery and he could "be back in weeks, not months."
Parkinson, who Seattle selected out of Stanford in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, had turned in a sensational first three weeks of training camp and looked primed to play a key role in new coordinator Shane Waldron's offense. The athletic 6-foot-7 tight end has consistently made big plays on the practice field during team sessions and 7-on-7, showing after-the-catch ability and proving to be a matchup nightmare in the red zone.
Carroll didn't offer any specifics about Parkinson's injury, but the coach was understandably somber while revealing the news given how well the second-year tight end had performed to this point.
“It’s really disappointing because he was having a fantastic camp and we really had hopes that he had a role, he’d fit in and he was looking like it,” Carroll said. ”He sparked really early, so we’ll look forward to him coming back.”
Only a month after being drafted, Parkinson originally broke his foot in early June 2020 and required surgery. He opened his first training camp with the Seahawks on the Non-Football Injury list and missed the first eight regular season games before finally being activated. He appeared in six games as a rookie, recording a pair of catches for 16 yards.
Given how long Parkinson sat out a year ago, it's possible the team may be forced to place him on injured reserve at the start of the season, though Carroll did say that he was "way better off" than last year's injury and Pelissero's report provides further optimism he will recover quickly. Per league rules, if he starts the year on injured reserve, he would be out for at least three weeks before being eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster.
In addition to Parkinson's injury, Carroll also told reporters fellow tight end Tyler Mabry sprained his foot in Thursday's practice and could miss extensive time, leaving only Gerald Everett, Will Dissly, Cam Sutton, and Dom Wood-Anderson as healthy players at the position going into the preseason opener.
With Parkinson potentially out for Week 1 or longer and Mabry dealing with his own foot injury, the Seahawks will likely be in the market for tight end help. Veteran Luke Willson remains unsigned and the popular locker room favorite could be brought back in a pinch, while trade options could be considered as well.
Not all of the injury news coming out of the VMAC on Friday was negative, however. In a bit of a silver lining, Carroll provided updates on receiver D'Wayne Eskridge and running back Travis Homer, who both have a chance to be activated off of the PUP list next week.
Eskridge, a second-round selection out of Western Michigan, injured a big toe during a walkthrough in OTAs and didn't participate in Seattle's mandatory minicamp in June. He opened training camp on the PUP list but has been running pain-free for several days, a positive sign he's close to making his training camp debut. He's expected to vie for the No. 3 receiver spot against Freddie Swain and Penny Hart while also being in the mix to return kicks and punts.
After twice re-aggravating a calf injury this spring, Homer has been itching to get back on the field and the Seahawks have erred on the side of caution with the third-year ball carrier. The former Miami standout has been partaking in on-field work and also appears to be on the verge on returning to the field to compete in a crowded backfield.
