Jarran Reed, Shaquill Griffin Expected to Play for Seahawks vs. Rams
Set to face the Rams for the second time in three weeks in Saturday's Wild Card rematch at Lumen Field, the Seahawks will have Jamal Adams in uniform ready to make his postseason debut.
Adams exited Seattle's season finale against San Francisco last weekend after injuring his left shoulder and sat out most of the fourth quarter, briefly leaving his status in doubt for the postseason. But after returning to practice in limited fashion and telling reporters he was "full-go" on Wednesday, the star safety wasn't even listed on the team's final injury report.
Along with having Adams on the field ready to chase down Jared Goff or John Wolford, depending on who plays quarterback for the Rams, the Seahawks should also have defensive tackle Jarran Reed and cornerback Shaquill Griffin available. The two players were the only ones listed on the final injury report and received questionable designations.
Like Adams, Reed didn't finish Sunday's season finale due to an oblique strain and left midway through the third quarter walking gingerly towards the locker room. He didn't return to the field, but the fifth-year defender did practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday and after managing him throughout the week, Carroll said he should be "ready to go."
As for Griffin, Carroll indicated his new hamstring injury wasn't related to the one that cost him four games during the regular season and he "felt a bit tight." After sitting out Thursday's practice session for precautionary reasons, he expects the fourth-year cornerback to be ready to play on Saturday. Griffin hadn't been listed on the injury report and was a full participant in Seattle's first two practices earlier this week.
In other injury-related news, defensive end Darrell Taylor impressed in his first three practices after being designated to return from the Non-Football Injury list on Tuesday. The second-round selection out of Tennessee did not play at all in the regular season due to setbacks from offseason leg surgery, but Carroll kept the door open for him to possibly make his Seahawks debut in the playoffs after a stellar Thursday session.
"He's flashed, obviously," Carroll remarked. "We've seen the quickness. I'm anxious to see this film because this was the best day for him. We're kind of ramping him up and today he cut it loose a bit. So I'm anxious to see it. But there's no question that he belongs out here with these guys."
Per league rules, Taylor is allowed to practice for three weeks before Seattle has to make a decision to activate him or revert him to injured reserve. While it would be shocking to see him added to the 53-man roster in time for Saturday's Wild Card matchup, it's no longer out of the question he could play at some point if the team advances deeper into the postseason.
More importantly, making it through a week of practice without a hitch is excellent news in regard to Taylor's surgically-repaired leg. After having a titanium rod inserted to repair a stress fracture, such a positive response return to football activities bodes well for his future with the franchise after months of uncertainty.
