4 Seahawks Who Must Step Up With So Many Injuries

I’m not saying the Seattle Seahawks are the only team in the NFL with a lot of injuries. But they are, as of right now, one of the teams with a lot of injuries. And that means other players will have to step up and produce, perhaps more than typical. Let’s run through some of them here, skipping the obvious candidates like Drew Lock or Josh Jones.

1: Jadarian Price

There are a lot of reasons why the Seahawks aren’t running the ball effectively right now, but one thing that’s easy to lose track of is the individual play of the back. It’s understandable given it was his first game back from a significant injury, but part of the problem last Monday was Price not getting it done. We’ve seen better from him this year, and we need better now.

Price needs to step up, even if circumstances aren't great. — Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (8) warms up prior to a game against the Chicago Bears. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brian Fleury and the offensive line own a lot of the run game issues. The lack of a real fullback is also an issue. But Price needs to maximize his yardage on the opportunities he gets. With chaos on the offensive line this week, the blocking may not get much better, so it’s going to require great play from Price himself. We need some degree of balance here.

2: Tory Horton

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is doing everything within his power right now, and to ask more of him would be absurd. Cooper Kupp is old. Rashid Shaheed is injured. Montorie Foster Jr isn’t ready to produce against NFL defenses. Tory Horton is the only one who might be able to give us a viable number two receiver right now. And so far, we haven’t seen it.

Time for Horton to step up. — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15) catches a two point conversion against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Some blamed Horton for Sam Darnold’s first interception against the Denver Broncos for running a bad route. I don’t particularly agree with that criticism, but Tory hasn’t exactly wowed so far this season, particularly with his struggles to make contested catches. With the Seahawks living in 11 personnel recently, some production is a must from Horton.

3: Jarran Reed

I hate to put more on Reed’s shoulders right now, but there’s no other choice. Leonard Williams and Brandon Pili are out, so the interior defensive line is Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed, and Rylie Mills. I know Murphy is ready to ball out, as he always does, but Mills has been a massive liability so far this season. That means more snaps for Reed.

Sorry, Reed, but you're badly needed this week. — Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mills is completely unable to hold up against the run, meaning his only chance to contribute positively is as a pass rusher. And the Seahawks aren’t doing a good job at creating those opportunities. Reed needs to clamp down early, until such a time as the Seahawks might be able to open up a big lead. Emphasis on ‘might’, of course.

4: Derick Hall

Lots of Seahawks fans have been going after Hall over the last couple months. I’m not one of them, so don’t construe this as me agreeing with those criticisms. I think Derick has been fine so far this year, and has been worth the contract we gave him in the offseason. But this week would be a great time for him to, for three hours, ascend beyond that.

Hall is a good player, but we might need a great one this week. — Chicago Bears wide receiver Kalif Raymond (14) runs after the catch as Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) defends. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seahawks utterly failed to get pressure on Caleb Williams on Monday. With Uchenna Nwosu still sidelined and Dante Fowler Jr clearly not being trusted by the coaching staff, plus Big Cat not being available for edge snaps, Hall is going to play a lot. And some hits on Minshew tomorrow would go a long way in flipping the current narrative.

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