Rookies Phil Haynes, Demarcus Christmas 'Ready to Go' for Seahawks

As the Seahawks begin preparation for a long road trip to Cleveland, the team looks to have reinforcements coming in the trenches in the near future.

According to coach Pete Carroll, rookie guard Phil Haynes and defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas are on track to be activated from the physically unable to perform list as early as next week. Both players have been out since the starting of training camp and will be eligible to return after Week 6.

At this point, Carroll sympathizes with Seattle’s training staff, as the two big-bodied rookies have been “killing the trainers” working their way back onto the field.

“Those guys they’re working out with, they’ve worn those guys out.” Carroll said on Monday. “They can’t work against each other either, so it’s just with the trainers. Our guys are coming in pretty battered and bruised and that’s not the players, that’s the trainers from the workouts.”

Haynes, a fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest, impressed throughout Seattle’s offseason program. With veteran Mike Iupati nursing an ankle injury, he took extensive reps with the first-team offense during organized team activities and surprised veteran tackle Duane Brown with how quickly he picked up the offense.

Unfortunately, Seattle’s 2019 draft class has been ravaged by injuries and Haynes wasn’t immune. He underwent sports hernia surgery shortly before training camp, preventing him from competing for a reserve spot behind Iupati and D.J. Fluker.

Despite missing the entire preseason, activating Haynes should bolster Seattle’s interior offensive line depth, especially with Ethan Pocic still nursing a neck injury. A four-year starter for the Demon Deacons, his presence would help offset the loss of Jordan Simmons and provide quality insurance behind Iupati and Fluker.

Figuring out where Christmas, a sixth-round selection out of Florida State, fits into plans will be a bit more tricky. Seattle will be welcoming back star defensive tackle Jarran Reed from suspension next week and has surprisingly good depth already at the position with the trio of Poona Ford, Al Woods, and Quinton Jefferson.

Returning from a back injury, Christmas would be hard-pressed to carve out a rotational role on Seattle’s roster as constructed. There’s a chance the team could release him with hopes of stashing him on the practice squad.

The Seahawks also could choose to play the waiting game, as they wouldn’t have to make a decision on Haynes or Christmas until Week 12. If they don’t start practicing by that point, they will remain on the PUP list for the rest of the season and can’t be activated.

But if you’re taking Carroll’s comments at full sincerity, it sounds like the Seahawks plan to bring both players back into the fold soon, creating some interesting roster decisions in mid-October.

“They’re ready to go. They’re working as hard as they possibly can so that the transition they have to make will be as minimized as possible. We’re really looking forward to them coming back.”