Ty Okada doesn't look like he'll play for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, and that's bad. He is a presumed starter in a group that has already suffered losses due to injuries. Rookie Bud Clark, for instance, broke his ankle in the preseason and will miss the season.
Defensive back Nick Emmanwori (so much more than a pure safety) had his own ankle issue and had surgery in July. He has been limited in practice and is probably not going to play against the New England Patriots. This all means that, to open the season, Seattle is in a tough spot on the back end of the defense.
AJ Finley and D'Anthony Bell could definitely see a lot of reps next to starter Julian Love, and that is far from optimal. In a Mike Macdonald defense, however, Bell and Finley have a chance to star, potentially along with Rodney Thomas II. All three players were signed to the practice squad and didn't make the active roster.
D'Anthony Bell might go from roster cut to impact player in Week 1 for the Seattle Seahawks
Bell had the hardest path. He was part of the final roster cuts, and then a late addition to the practice squad. Yet, he could also suddenly become a difference-maker in Week 1. The chances that Bell is elevated and fails are the same as the chances he is added to the active roster and succeeds.
Seattle has said only good things about Bell, Finley, and Thomas, as the team should. After all, all spent time with the Seahawks through training camp and the preseason, and then were trusted enough to be signed to the practice squad.
Not that all three were thought to be needed in Week 1, but that could be the case. The final injury report will be released on Tuesday, and things are trending toward Okada and Emmanwori being out. This would leave the safety group exceedingly thin, and a major concern going up against quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots.
In three preseason games, Bell allowed four of his five pass targets to be completed for 46 yards. His passer rating allowed was a not-great 104.2. He was good against the run with two stuffs, and that is important. If Macdonald is going to put backup safeties on the field, those players need to be able to be versatile and help the team against the pass and run.
The Seattle Seahawks got a glimpse of D'Anthony Bell last year, too. He played 96 snaps and had five run stuffs. In his four-year career, including 275 coverage snaps, he hasn't allowed a touchdown. Macdonald also has a way of getting safeties to play better than anticipated.
That might need to happen with Bell in Week 1: a player whom the team released didn't immediately sign to the practice squad, but now might start or play a bunch of reps against the Patriots. How good he potentially is could be a factor in the outcome of the game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google