Penny aside, roster is getting healthier

Seahawks bandagesThe Seahawks have had a few big injury issues this camp — missing Dion Jordan, Doug Baldwin and Ed Dickson, among others — and now we can add Rashaad Penny to the list.

Along with a handful of guys coming off surgeries and a bunch of short-term ailments (at least seven hip flexor issues), it seems like the Hawks have had a lot of injuries. But the good thing — even in the case of Penny — is that very few of them are big deals. And the roster is getting healthier.

Yeah, it’s annoying that Baldwin, Dickson and Penny — all expected to be big offensive contributors — are missing prep time. But Baldwin and Penny are expected back by the opener (Dickson has been slow to recover from a quadriceps injury and could remain on the NFI list into September).

The most serious ailments seemingly belong to Jordan (knee) and Jamarco Jones (ankle), who both could miss half the season (Jordan on PUP and Jones possibly on short-term IR). Both injuries have hurt depth on the lines, but the Hawks have guys who can step up to replace them. To give them more options with the pass rush, they added Erik Walden (33 next week), who has tallied 15 sacks the past two seasons.

Carroll told KJR the pass rushers have been a pleasant surprise. Rookies Rasheem Green and Jacob Martin and veteran Barkevious Mingo all showed promise in the preseason opener against the Colts. Walden figures to work in the same SAM/LEO role as Mingo and Martin, which could mean Martin now has some real competition for that backup role while Jordan is out.

Carroll said they will see whether Jordan can return in time for the final preseason game, Aug. 30 vs. the Raiders.

“He’s making progress, but it’s still a while,” Carroll said. “It’s still probably three weeks before we make an assessment; it’s probably that last week of preseason when we try to see if we can push for that and see how that goes. That’s what we’d like to get done, if we could.”

Although the recent news on Penny, Jones and Isaiah Battle (sprained knee) makes it seem like injuries are still piling up, the Seahawks actually are starting to get guys back. Frank Clark, Brandon Marshall and Dontae Johnson all have returned after slow buildups following offseason surgeries. Nazair Jones and David Moore both missed time with the trendy ailment of this camp, the hip flexor, but they have returned. And C.J. Prosise, Byron Maxwell, Maurice Alexander and D.J. Alexander — most also dealing with hip flexor issues — all returned to practice Wednesday; Carroll said Prosise and Maxwell are on track to play in Los Angeles on Saturday. J.R. Sweezy (ankle) and Amara Darboh (hip) also are expected back this week.

“Yeah, he’s really close,’’ Carroll said of Darboh. “He’s been in the early part of practice the last couple of days, … so he’s close to playing this weekend. But he has to get on the field for the whole practice in the next couple of days to do that.”

One thought on “Penny aside, roster is getting healthier”

  1. It’s not like they are counting on Jordan. Anything they get from him is gravy.

    The pass rush may still be a year away, otherwise; this roster is coming together. They seem to be downright impressed with Brandon Marshall. That along with Moore’s good camp makes me wonder about Darboh’s status.

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