Despite Suffering High Ankle Sprain, Seahawks Hopeful Kyle Fuller Can 'Tough Out' Injury
Considering the Seahawks will be without their starting center for a second consecutive game, they will be forced to rely on their banged-up backup during a prime time NFC West rivalry showdown against the Cardinals on Thursday.
With Ethan Pocic still recovering from a concussion, Seattle is expected to call upon backup Kyle Fuller once again after he filled in as his replacement last weekend against Los Angeles. Though the 26-year old was suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, he was activated to the roster in late September and played snaps on special teams before making his first start of 2020 in Week 10.
While Fuller played all 67 offensive snaps, he suffered a high ankle sprain during the game and remained in the lineup. Despite being held out of practice this week, coach Pete Carroll revealed the 6-foot-5 center was rested throughout the week by design and mentioned he’s confident the fourth-year pro will be ready to play if the situation presents itself.
“He’s going to be ready to go in the game,” Carroll discussed. “We’ll see how good he is on game day, but he went through all the prep on the side - we rested him all week on the short week. He did a really nice job first time out. So he’ll be ready if we need him.”
After being selected by Houston in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Fuller split time between the team’s active roster and the practice squad before he was ultimately signed by Washington in 2018. But after playing in just two games, the Baylor product was waived by the organization during the offseason and agreed to join Seattle’s practice squad, which is where he spent the majority of the 2019 campaign.
Returning for a second season, Fuller has emerged as the backup center after B.J. Finney was dealt to Cincinnati as part of the Carlos Dunlap trade and hasn’t wasted any time proving his toughness to the coaching staff. Referencing his performance against the Rams, Carroll admitted he was extremely impressed with the Texas native’s showing and discussed how his prior injury history helped him battle through his injured ankle.
“He handled it really well, he played the game and finished the game,” Carroll explained. “He was really tough about it, he’s had a high ankle sprain before, which always helps these guys understand what they’re up against. He’s just going to tough it out, he did in the game, which we’re really proud of him for pulling it off like he did.”
During his first start since the 2017 campaign, Fuller struggled mightily to perform effectively in both pass protection and as a run blocker, as he earned a troubling 16.1 pass blocking grade, a 43.7 run blocking grade, and an overall grade of 32.6, according to Pro Football Focus.
While it’s difficult to defend these poor results, Fuller might deserve a little slack, as was tasked with blocking All-Pro Aaron Donald and other talented defenders while dealing with an ankle sprain at the same time. That being said, these metrics are definitely something to keep an eye on moving forward.
Since Fuller is expected to earn his second start of the season, teammates Jamarco Jones and Phil Haynes are slated to serve as insurance options behind him and will be ready to go if needed. With Haynes in particular, the former fourth-round selection was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday and Carroll believes he’ll be able to help out and compete immediately during his first game of the season.
“Phil has been playing guard for us and he can play center also, so he’s kind of a utility guy as he works his way back in,” Carroll detailed. “He’s had a good return, we’re really excited for him. He’s been out for quite a while with last year as well. It’s good to get him back out there and get him competing, but he’s [got] a good healthy body, strong and ready to go. He’s ready to jump in there if we need him.”
