Seahawks DE Rasheem Green Still Shaking Off Rust After Lengthy Absence
While the Seahawks' pass rush has struggled to perform consistently through the first half of this season, the defensive line is starting to become healthier, which could lead to a very successful second-half surge.
After producing career-highs in solo tackles (15), quarterback pressures (15) and hits (five), sacks (4.0), and tackles for loss (three) during his sophomore campaign, the Seahawks were counting on defensive end Rasheem Green to assume a much larger role in 2020. Unfortunately, the third-year pro has yet to accomplish that feat, as a neck injury forced him to miss six of his team’s first eight games of the season.
Making his highly anticipated return from injured reserve in Week 9, Green drew back into the lineup against the Bills and the coaching staff made sure to ease him into his first live game in nearly two months. Despite being limited to just 25 defensive snaps (37 percent), the 23-year old admitted he was just extremely happy to return to the field, allowing him to suit up with his teammates for the first time since Week 1.
“I was super stoked to get back because I was tired of being in the booth and watching the games on tv,” Green discussed. “I was really hyped to get back out there and just play football.”
Since this season’s COVID-19 protocols prevent injured players from being on the sideline, Green was forced to watch his team from up in the stands, which is something he certainly didn’t enjoy. Now that he’s healthy, the 6-foot-4 defensive end will be pleased if never has to watch a game as a fan ever again during his playing career.
Considering this past weekend was the first time the USC product wore pads since the season opener, no one was expecting him to look perfect and it wasn’t shocking to watch him endure some struggles after a two-month layoff. That being said, the California native doesn’t believe he performed too poorly, but the youngster did mention it felt a little weird at times wearing all of his equipment on the field.
“I did feel a little rusty because that game was my first time wearing pads since the Falcons game,” Green explained. “I felt like I wasn’t too rusty because I’ve been practicing and stuff. It’s just different because playing a game and practicing not in pads is a bit different.”
Through two games this season, Green has played 55 defensive snaps, producing four quarterback pressures, three total tackles, two quarterback hits, one solo tackle, along with a 9.3 percent pressure rate.
Positioned on the right side of the defensive line, the former third-round pick is expected to continue splitting time with teammate L.J. Collier, who’s been thriving during his second season in Seattle. With newly acquired veteran Carlos Dunlap maintaining a starting position on the opposite side, the defense should be able to create plenty of havoc in the backfield through the second half of the 2020 campaign.
While it’ll likely take at least a few games for Green to regain his rhythm and comfortability on the field, the Seahawks are confident he’ll be able to make a strong impact in the near future, which should help him make up for his injury-riddled first half. Hoping his health concerns are behind him, coach Pete Carroll explained how important the former Trojan is to his defense and expressed his happiness about having the talented young defender back out on the field.
“He played really hard and he knows our stuff, he’s really good at our scheme, he’s going to do well for us,” Carroll mentioned. “We need him badly, we needed him throughout and that’s another guy that knows the history, the background, and what we’re trying to get done. All of those little subtleties add up together and really make a difference. So we’re glad to have him back.”
