Seattle Seahawks Injury Report: Multiple CBs OUT vs. New York Giants
Preparing for their first prime time game of the 2023 season, the Seattle Seahawks will be short-handed in the secondary against Daniel Jones and the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
After missing practice time this week with a hamstring strain and concussion respectively, Seattle ruled out cornerbacks Artie Burns and Tre Brown to play against New York. Battling a toe injury, slot cornerback Coby Bryant received a doubtful designation and likely will miss his second straight game, while left tackle Charles Cross also looks set to miss his third consecutive game due to his own toe injury.
While Cross appears to be making tangible strides, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll indicated the team is leaning towards giving him an extra week plus the upcoming bye to get himself right before returning in Week 6.
“He’s getting good fieldwork and he’s making good progress. We’ve got to see if there’s any need for us on the weekend," Carroll told reporters after Friday's practice. "But it will really help him to get one more good week out here, then the next week he can prep for the next game would be really valuable for him. He’s getting closer.”
Brown, who started in place of Riq Woolen at left cornerback in last week's win over the Panthers, exited in the second quarter after taking a shot to the helmet while making a tackle. Though the Seahawks hoped with an extra day to rest that he would be able to potentially play on Monday night, he remains in concussion protocol and now won't return to action until after the team's Week 5 bye.
After registering a pass breakup against the Panthers last week, the Seahawks won't have Artie Burns available due to a new hamstring injury, leaving depth at slot cornerback thin.
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As for Burns, the veteran cornerback first appeared on Seattle's injury report on Thursday as a limited participant and was downgraded to out on Friday. Bryant didn't practice at all this week, but Carroll said he would travel with the team and didn't completely rule out the possibility he could make a quick turn and potentially be available on Monday night.
"He’s going to go with us. If he’s on the trip anything can happen, but he’s coming back. He’s had some really specific treatments for his toe and we’re hoping that he can make a quick turn. We’ll see where he is on the weekend.”
With Burns and Bryant expected to be out, the Seahawks may have to slide safety Julian Love or rookie Jerrick Reed into the nickel cornerback role, while versatile defensive back Teez Tabor could be elevated from the practice squad for extra depth for a second straight week. Undrafted rookie Lance Boykin could also be an option to elevate if necessary.
If there's a clear silver lining, the Seahawks will have Woolen back in action after sitting out last week, as the Pro Bowl defender was a full participant all week returning from a chest injury. Safety Jamal Adams will also make his much-anticipated 2023 debut coming back from a torn quad tendon and should step right back into the starting lineup alongside Quandre Diggs, who didn't receive a designation after being limited earlier in the week by a hamstring strain.
In the trenches, Cross didn't practice on Thursday and Friday, putting his chances of returning before the bye week in limbo. It appears the Seahawks will exercise caution with the former first-round pick hoping that he will be fully healthy after an extra week off, rolling with third-year tackle Stone Forsythe in his place once again with Jake Curhan across from him replacing injured starter Abraham Lucas.
On the questionable side of the equation, Seattle may or may not have standout defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones, who sat out all three practices this week with a lingering hip injury that bothered him against Carolina. Carroll did say that the veteran defender has gotten some side work in and remains optimistic he can turn around and play on Monday.
Rookie Derick Hall, who was added to the injury report on Friday with a knee issue, practiced in full on Saturday and should be in good shape to play against the Giants.
“Derick [Hall] got his work today and practiced today. Dre’Mont [Jones] got some fieldwork today and things are really moving in the right direction. He’s going and thinking he’s going to play and be available," Carroll said.
Offensively, starting center Evan Brown popped up on the injury report earlier in the week after Carroll said he took a knee to the quad at practice. While Seattle expects to have the veteran available, if somehow he cannot play, rookie center Olu Oluwatimi would earn his first career start with a challenging assignment blocking star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and A'Shawn Robinson.
Similarly to the cornerback position, the Seahawks have some question marks at tight end with Will Dissly and Noah Fant each receiving questionable designations. Dissly sat out last week's win after banging his shoulder in a victory over the Lions in Week 2, while Fant was a late addition to the injury report despite not being listed on Thursday or Friday with a knee issue.
Per Carroll, Dissly got through practice during the week and looks "ready to go," while Fant received rest and should also be in good shape to suit up in East Rutherford.
