Seahawks Receive 'Really, Really Positive' Report on Injured LB Darrell Taylor
After being carted off of the field with his head stabilized on a stretcher during Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss to the Steelers, the Seahawks continue to receive positive news on linebacker Darrell Taylor.
According to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, clear CT scans and MRI tests confirmed Taylor "does not have a neck injury," though he may have something going on with his shoulder. His status remains day-to-day, which is excellent news considering the scary scene that played out at Heinz Field.
"He's not out of the woods of playing this week, so that's a thrilling response to what it looked like and everybody could have anticipated, so we'll see how that goes," Carroll said. "He's gotta have a good week to do that and I haven't talked to Darrell since the MRI stuff came back and he was very positive about all that... He came out great, so we'll hope for the best and see if he has a chance to go this week."
Suffering the injury late in the fourth quarter, Taylor worked down the line of scrimmage and dove to tackle Steelers running back Najee Harris when his helmet made contact with 330-pound teammate Al Woods. His head jerked back awkwardly at the collision point and at the conclusion of the play, he slowly rolled over onto his back and remained down for several minutes.
Trainers rushed out to the field and eventually called for a cart, taking every precaution by removing his face mask and strapping him to a stretcher. Players from both teams gathered in a circle around him and he received a standing ovation from the crowd as he was taken off the field.
"He was so mad by having to be taken off the field like that. He wanted to get up," Carroll said after the game. "They wouldn't let him do it because they had to do all of the secure methods to take care of him and all that. Man, he didn't want any part of that."
NBC Sports' Michelle Tafoya later reported on the broadcast Taylor had movement in all of his extremities and after undergoing testing at a local hospital, he was able to fly home with the team early on Monday morning.
Through six games, after missing his entire rookie season recovering from leg surgery, Taylor has been Seattle's most reliable and consistent pass rusher. He currently leads the team with 4.0 sacks and according to Pro Football Focus, he has already generated 14 quarterback pressures and ranks 14th among qualified defensive ends in the pass rushing productivity metric.
Along with Taylor, Carroll provided an injury update on running back Alex Collins, who didn't play in overtime on Sunday night due to hip and glute injuries. Prior to exiting, he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first Seahawks back since Chris Carson in December 2019 to eclipse the century mark.
Like Taylor, Carroll doesn't know if Collins will be available on Monday against the Saints, but he did confirm that he avoided significant injury.
"He got beat on pretty good, cramped up a little bit too," Carroll commented. "He had a little bit of everything happen, but as far as I know right now, it's going to take the next couple days to determine [his status]. He just got a lot of wear and tear last night. He played a great football game for us and he's really tough and we'll see what happens."
Regardless of whether or not Collins can suit up, Carroll expects the Seahawks to have Rashaad Penny back in action to provide reinforcements in the backfield. The former first-round pick has been sidelined since the season opener with a calf injury, but he has turned in a couple strong weeks and should be ready to return barring an unforeseen setback.
"He's raring to go and there won't be any restrictions on him unless the workload builds up on him and I'm hoping that's not going to be the fact because the way he's prepared, it's extremely important that he comes back to us now and helps the running game," Carroll said.
As for quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Chris Carson, Carroll doesn't know if either player will have a chance to be activated before Week 10 when the Seahawks face the Packers at Lambeau Field. That's the earliest either player will be eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster after being placed on injured reserve last Friday.
Wilson underwent surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger on October 8 and initial reports suggested he could miss as many as 6-8 weeks depending on his recovery process. Carroll doesn't have a timetable yet for him to return, but he "won't put anything beyond his capabilities" in regard to playing as soon as Week 10.
Nursing what Carroll previously called a "long-term" neck issue, Carson sat out a Week 5 loss to the Rams and the Seahawks held out hope he would be able to play last week. However, his condition didn't progress enough to practice and the team decided to place him on injured reserve to provide additional time to calm down the injury. Due to the nature of his injury, it remains unknown whether he will be ready by Week 10 or not.
"Chris has to make good progress where he feels really confident and all that," Carroll explained. "He can move and all that kind of stuff and it's just whether the contact is going to set him back, so we'll take the full time we have to do that."
