Seahawks Rule Out Jamal Adams vs. Steelers, 6 Players Listed Questionable
Despite returning to practice in limited fashion this week as he tries to work back from lingering knee soreness, the Seattle Seahawks will not have safety Jamal Adams in uniform for a third consecutive game when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lumen Field on Sunday.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, coach Pete Carroll didn't offer many specifics about Adams' status or any clarity on his potential availability for Week 17, though he did say the veteran defender was "bouncing around" at walkthrough after a multi-week break. Three days later, it appears Seattle's staff didn't see enough on the field to warrant bringing him back into action yet.
"It’s the first time in a while that we’ve got a chance to get him out. He’s had a good break, and we’ll see what that means," Carroll said earlier in the week. "I can’t conclude anything about that, but I’m happy for him. I know he’s pumped up to be back out there.”
Far from 100 percent coming off a torn quad tendon suffered last season, the Seahawks have opted to rest Jamal Adams again on Sunday against the Steelers.
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With Adams sidelined once again, the Seahawks will continue to move forward with Julian Love as his replacement alongside Quandre Diggs in the secondary. The fifth-year veteran has played outstanding ball of late, including winning NFC Defensive Player of the Year in Week 15 after intercepting Jalen Hurts twice in the fourth quarter of a thrilling 20-17 win on Monday Night Football.
Despite missing practice last week to be with his wife, who gave birth to their first son Noah on Friday, Love flew privately to Nashville and started in Sunday's win over the Titans, registering three tackles and a pass breakup while playing all 66 defensive snaps for the Seahawks.
Away from Adams, Seattle also ruled out 41-year old tackle Jason Peters, who has been sidelined at practice this week by plantar fasciitis in his foot. Without him available to suit up, the team likely will have Raiqwon O'Neal or McClendon Curtis dress as a backup behind Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas. The pair of undrafted rookies have largely been held out as healthy scratches since being plucked off of other practice squads in Week 2.
Outside linebacker Frank Clark, who has only played in one of the previous three games, will be out a second straight week due to an illness. Receiver Dee Eskridge will also sit out a fifth consecutive game with a rib injury.
In addition to four players being ruled out, the Seahawks also listed six players as questionable to play against the Steelers, including running back Ken Walker III, receiver DK Metcalf, linebacker Jordyn Brooks, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
Further aggravating a sprained ankle that has been bothering him for several weeks, Brooks sat out the entire second half in Nashville with Devin Bush in his place. He didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday and Carroll indicated on Wednesday he was "pretty sore," suggesting he would have a difficult time making enough progress to suit up by Sunday.
Most likely, depending on Carroll's update on Friday, Bush will earn the start next to Bobby Wagner for Seattle and line up against his former team. Taking advantage of extensive playing time last weekend in Brooks' stead, he recorded a season-best six tackles in Tennessee.
"He’s a really good all-around athlete and he’s got good versatility to him,: Carroll said of Bush on Wednesday. "You’ve seen us play him on the edge quite a bit as an outside backer. He has all of that flexibility, and he’s a really good natural football player. He’s fit in. It’s been hard behind Bobby [Wagner] and Jordyn [Brooks] a good deal of the time, but his spirit has always been there. He’s got a great chance to play a lot this week, and I know he’ll be fired up about that."
As for Witherspoon, who has been out for the previous two games with a hip pointer, Carroll provided a more positive update on the standout rookie's prognosis earlier in the week. He participated in limited fashion on Wednesday and Thursday and after nearly making it back last weekend in Tennessee, he should have a strong chance at suiting up barring unforeseen setbacks on Friday.
On offense, Walker played against the Titans despite landing on the injury report last week due to a shoulder injury. Missing both practices so far this week with an illness added to the report, his status for the weekend remains up in the air, but the Seahawks haven't had any reservations about playing him even if he misses practice time.
In the case of Metcalf, he wasn't on Seattle's injury report on Wednesday, but the team added him as a non-participant with a new back issue on Thursday. Earlier this season, he missed extensive practice time with a hip issue and sat out a Week 7 win over Arizona, but he generally has been able to rebound from injury issues to play on Sunday in the past.
Capping off the Seahawks injury report, Nick Bellore and Mario Edwards each received questionable designations with knee injuries. Both have missed practice time this week and could be game-time decisions on Sunday.
