Injuries create roster crunch for Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks got some bad injury news on Friday. They have just one healthy running back and only three healthy cornerbacks. They need to make some roster moves before Sunday, but they lack obvious players that can be dropped to make room.

Marshawn Lynch has officially been ruled out for the second straight week with a hamstring injury. He’s joined on the injured list this week by Fred Jackson, who has a high ankle sprain. Jackson may play, but will certainly be limited if he does.

That leave the Seahawks with only one healthy running back. Fullback Derick Coleman was a RB in college and will likely get a few carries to spell Thomas Rawls. The Seahawks also have Will Tukuafu who can replace Coleman at FB if necessary.

Rod Smith is currently on the practice squad. He’d be an ideal option as a backup running back, but he’d have to be added to the 53 man roster for that to happen.

A similar situation has cropped up at cornerback. Tharold Simon is still out with a toe injury. Marcus Burley has a broken thumb and will be out for a while. Tye Smith is also out, which leaves the Seahawks shorthanded.

Cary Williams and Richard Sherman are the only healthy cornerbacks on the roster. Safety Deshawn Shead can also play corner, but he is the only healthy backup safety on the roster at the moment.

The Seahawks have a pair of CBs on the practice squad that could be added to the roster. Kevin Short and George Farmer are both ready to go if they are added to the roster in time for Sunday’s game.

The problem then becomes who gets removed from the roster to make room for any additions.

The Seahawks could put Burley on injured reserve which will end his season. The same is true for Tharold Simon, though Simon should be back fairly soon.

Tight end Cooper Helfet could be the guy that gets the axe. He rarely plays, and can be replaced on running downs by the versatile Tukuafu. The Seahawks also have RaSean Allen on the practice squad if Helfet gets claimed off waivers and the team need TE depth down the line.

Cutting Tukuafu made sense in previous weeks, but removing a back to make room for another one doesn’t help the issue. Tukuafu also plays DE, and that versatility is useful on Sundays.

Another option would be to cut a receiver like Ricardo Lockette or BJ Daniels. Lockette is buried on the depth chart and very rarely sees the field except on special teams. Daniels has only been a healthy scratch for three of the four games thus far in the season.

The reason cutting one of the receivers makes sense is because Paul Richardson will be back soon. He is on the PUP list, and will be eligible to be activated to roster after Week 6. One of those two will likely be cut at that point anyways, so losing them 2 weeks early isn’t a huge hit to the team’s depth.

Overall, there are some tough decisions that need to be made in the next day or so. The Seahawks need the depth at RB and CB, but that means someone else will have to be let go.

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