Seahawks LB Darryl Johnson Suffers 'Significant' Foot Injury, Likely Injured Reserve Bound
After replacing an underperforming Darrell Taylor in the starting lineup for the Seahawks in Sunday's 48-45 win over the Lions, the team will likely be without linebacker Darryl Johnson for the foreseeable future.
While coach Pete Carroll didn't drop the dreaded legit classification when asked for an update on Johnson's status in his weekly Monday press conference and expects he will play again this season, he indicated the veteran defender would be out for extended time with a substantial foot injury.
"He's got an injury that's gonna take awhile," Carroll said. "I don't know specifically, but I think it's in the stress fracture type of thing that he's dealing with, so that's somewhat of a significant injury unfortunately."
The injury comes at an unfortunate time for Johnson, who earned his first start since joining Seattle as a waiver claim in late August. He left Sunday's game in the first half hobbling off the field and immediately received medical attention on the bench before eventually being ruled out from returning.
Since joining the Seahawks, Carroll has frequently commended Johnson for his physical playing style, versatility, and special teams prowess. With Taylor struggling mightily setting the edge as a run defender, the coaching staff decided to switch things up by rewarding the former North Carolina A&T standout for his stellar play in a reserve role.
In Seattle's first three games, Johnson produced four tackles and a tackle for loss while logging 38 defensive snaps. He also made a couple nice plays running down the field on kick coverage, something defenders weighing 260 pounds don't often do.
"I was really fired up about him being part of our plans," Carroll added. "He's big, strong, versatile, active, smart, really one of our guys. So I'm really disappointed that he got banged up."
Assuming Johnson lands on injured reserve, he will be required to miss at least the next four games before he can return to practice. In his absence, Carroll hinted rookie Boye Mafe will receive more playing time and Taylor could see an uptick in snaps after being benched last weekend, while veteran L.J. Collier could be activated from injured reserve to replace his spot on the roster and bolster interior defensive line depth.
As far as other options go, Alton Robinson may need a few more weeks before he's healthy enough to return after suffering a sprained PCL in his knee during the preseason. Undrafted rookies Vi Jones and Joshua Onujiogu could also be elevated from the practice squad to face the Saints on Sunday for extra reinforcements.
