Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks Suffers 'Legit' Torn ACL, Done For Season
With the playoffs still within reach and one game left to play in the 2022 season, the Seattle Seahawks will have to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in the season finale without one of their best defensive players and leaders on the field.
Confirming Seattle's fears on his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports, coach Pete Carroll confirmed linebacker Jordyn Brooks suffered a "legit" torn ACL in Sunday's 23-6 win over the New York Jets. The third-year defender will need to undergo reconstructive knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
"That's a shame man," Carroll said. "What a great, great player and a great teammate."
Racing towards the sideline in pursuit of tight end C.J. Uzomah in the second quarter, Brooks landed awkwardly on his right leg and his knee appeared to buckle in a dreaded non-contact injury. He reached for his right knee before he even hit the ground and clutched it laying along the sideline writhing in pain, a bad sign that he had suffered a serious injury.
After being helped to the blue injury tent while being unable to put much weight on his right leg, Brooks was quickly transported to the locker room on a cart and the Seahawks ruled him out for the rest of the game. With his season now finished, he will end another productive campaign with 161 combined tackles, five pass breakups, and three tackles for loss in 16 starts.
From a short-term standpoint, Carroll said Seattle will slide Cody Barton to the MIKE linebacker spot and he will take over defensive play caller duties that Brooks has held all season. Next to Barton, he indicated Tanner Muse and Jon Rhattigan will see increased roles at the WILL linebacker spot in the season finale.
On Sunday, Muse logged 19 snaps in Brooks' place, registering two tackles and a pass defensed in coverage. Per Pro Football Focus, the ex-Clemson star earned a stellar 90.4 grade for his efforts against the Jets, so the Seahawks may be in decent hands with him as a spot starter next weekend and into the playoffs.
But due to the unfortunate timing of Brooks' injury, the Seahawks will also have some difficult decisions to make during the offseason. With reconstructive knee surgery typically taking at least eight months for recovery, if not longer, the team could be without him for a large chunk of the 2023 season, creating an unexpected need at middle linebacker heading towards free agency and the draft.
While Seattle may already have planned on trying to re-sign Barton, bringing him back now seems imperative due to his experience playing the MIKE position. The franchise may also be on the hunt for another veteran in free agency and with five picks in the first three rounds of April's draft, one of those selections could now be used at the position with Brooks' status for next year uncertain.
Seattle will also have to make a choice on whether or not to pick up Brooks' fifth year option this spring and there's no question the injury will weigh into that decision-making process for general manager John Schneider. Prior to picking up the option on tight end Noah Fant, who was drafted by the Broncos before being included in the Russell Wilson trade, the team had declined to do so with all of their previous first-round selections.
Either way, with much left to play for, the Seahawks will have to find a way to overcome the absence of the uber-productive Brooks and others such as Muse and Rhattigan will have to step up to give the team a chance to close out the season strong and potentially clinch a wild card berth.
Hey, 12s! Get your Seahawks Tickets from SI Tickets ... HERE!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Seahawks? Click Here to subscribe to AllSeahawks.com's Newsletter.
Follow All Seahawks.com on Twitter and Facebook
Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @lockedonseahawks today! Click here To Listen.
Want even more Seattle Seahawks news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
