Seahawks Place 'Hurting' Abraham Lucas on Injured Reserve

Shortly after coach Pete Carroll said Seattle Seahawks tackle Abraham Lucas would have a difficult time being ready to play against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the second-year blocker is officially heading to injured reserve.

Lucas exited Sunday's season-opening 30-13 loss to the Rams early in the second half with a sore knee and the Seahawks replaced him with third-year lineman Jake Curhan. After the game, Carroll peculiarly said the former Washington State standout didn't have a knee injury and made it sound as if he was taken out for precautionary reasons.

"Abe's knee just acted up on him again," Carroll told reporters at the time. "He doesn't have a knee injury. Just the same knee we rested him on during camp just got really sore during the game and couldn't fire the way he needed to, so we had to get him out of there. I don't know what to tell you about that one."

Adding to the ambiguity on Lucas' status, with him saying the team would evaluate him day-to-day, Carroll suggested on Monday that Seattle had done all the necessary tests to evaluate his knee and that he wouldn't need any work done on it.

Two days later, however, the Seahawks clearly have concerns about Lucas' sore knee that has bothered him on and off since late in his rookie season. By placing him on injured reserve, he will be required to miss at least the next four games, meaning the earliest he could return to action would be against the Cardinals following the team's bye week in Week 7.

From a significance standpoint, losing Lucas for an extended period of time will be a major bow to Seattle's offense. Before exiting on Sunday, he played a near-flawless first half against Los Angeles, giving up no pressures and opening up running lanes for running back Ken Walker III as the team went into halftime with a 13-7 lead. Once he left the lineup, Curhan struggled mightily, giving up four pressures on just nine pass blocking reps as the offense floundered with just 12 yards in the final two quarters.

Aside from Lucas' injury, Carroll indicated left tackle Charles Cross would also have a challenging time being ready for Sunday's game in Detroit after spraining his big toe in the season opener. If he isn't able to play this week, former sixth-round pick Stone Forsythe will earn his second career start.

Without Lucas available for at least the next month and Cross' status uncertain as well, Seattle has been proactive this week adding tackle depth. On Tuesday, the team signed former All-Pro Jason Peters as well as third-year tackle Greg Eiland to the practice squad. They continued to bring in reinforcements on Wednesday, signing rookie tackles McClendon Curtis and Raiqwon O'Neal off of the Raiders and Buccaneers practice squads to their active roster.

Peters, 41, logged 235 snaps with Dallas last season, giving up one sack and 11 pressures in pass protection. The future Hall of Famer has been selected to six All-Pro teams and nine Pro Bowl rosters in his illustrious career, starting a total of 219 games with the Bills, Eagles, Bears, and Cowboys, and believes he could potentially be ready as early as Sunday if needed.

Curtis, who signed with Las Vegas as an undrafted free agent out of Chattanooga, participated in the Senior Bowl in January. He primarily played right guard for the Mocs, but the 6-6, 324-pound blocker also saw action at left tackle and left guard at the college level. O'Neal, who likewise went undrafted before signing with Tampa Bay, started 34 games for UCLA and Rutgers at left tackle in his collegiate career.

Playing for former Seahawks quarterback coach Dave Canales, who took over as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator this season, O'Neal may have a built-in advantage for being able to play quickly for his new team.

In the immediate future, Curhan will likely remain in the starting lineup at right tackle as Lucas' replacement and Forsythe will hold down the fort on the left side. But if either struggles against the Lions this weekend, the Seahawks could quickly turn to Peters, who played both tackle spots for the Cowboys last season even though he has primarily played on the left side during his 19-year NFL career, or Curtis or O'Neal if they hit the ground running upon arrival.

It's obviously not a good situation for Carroll, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, or quarterback Geno Smith, but if there's a silver lining, Seattle will have this week to put together a game plan to compensate for the injuries to Cross and Lucas. Bringing a capable experienced veteran of Peters' stature also should ease concerns short term, especially if he's ready to play soon.