Seahawks rookie running back C.J. Prosise could be out for a significant time with a shoulder injury suffered in the first half of Sunday's win over the Eagles.
Seahawks rookie running back C.J. Prosise could be sidelined for an extended period of time after suffering a shoulder injury late in the second quarter of Sunday’s 26-15 win over the Eagles, which could have far-reaching implications on the team’s running back situation.
Prosise was one of a handful of Seahawks’ players to leave the game with an injury — coach Pete Carroll called it later “a lousy list” — and at the moment appears to be the most serious.
Carroll said Prosise has “a scapula issue’’ and that Prosise was set to undergo tests later to determine the severity of the injury.
“We’ve got to figure it out, but he’s going to be out a while,’’ Carroll said of Prosise, who had a 72-yard touchdown run and finished with 76 yards on four carries before leaving the game. “But, he’s going to be out for a while, and that’s too bad because you can see what we see in him and how excited we are to have him. He’ll have a chance to make it back, but it’s going to be a while, so here comes Thomas (Rawls) and we’ll fill it in as we go.’’
Asked later if Prosise could make it back this season, Carroll said “there’s a chance he comes back this year. We’ll have to figure that out. It’s going to be a while. We won’t know until we get all the results in tonight and tomorrow.’’
Prosise was injured when he took a hard hit from Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham on an incomplete pass late in the second quarter.
Prosise was one of four Seattle players to leave the game and not return, the others being safety Earl Thomas (hamstring), running back Troymaine Pope (ankle) and cornerback DeShawn Shead (hamstring).
Carroll said Thomas “got a little hammy strain that he can feel, so we got him out of there.’’ Thomas was hurt on a play in the third quarter when Richard Sherman intercepted a Carson Wentz pass and did not return.
Thomas has made 106 straight starts in the regular season (and 12 more in the post-season) since entering the NFL in 2010. Carroll said it was too early to know if his injury could cause him to miss next Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay. Thomas was not available to talk to media afterward.
Carroll said Shead “felt his hamstring Saturday for the first time and just couldn’t get loose today warming up so we saved him. But he couldn’t make it so we’ll have to see how that goes.’’ Indications are that the team was cautious with Shead and the injury isn’t overly serious. Shead played six snaps before coming out of the game.
Neiko Thorpe, who filled in for Shead (playing in the nickel primarily), was also out for a while with cramps, which had rookie DeAndre Elliott getting his first career snaps at cornerback.
Pope suffered what Carroll called “a bit of a high ankle sprain. We were just waiting to see him go and he just never got a chance to get started. So the running back spot is one we have to figure out, and it’s going to call for Alex Collins to jump back in there and do his stuff. He’s rarin’ and ready to go.”
The Seahawks entered the game with a vastly-different looking running back corps after the decision last week to release Christine Michael and elevate Pope from the practice squad, a move also made with the anticipation of Thomas Rawls returning from injury — Rawls played for the first time since Sept. 18.
Without Prosise and Pope, the Seahawks used backup quarterback Trevone Boykin for two plays at tailback in the fourth quarter.
Carroll said the Seahawks went with Boykin because they “wanted to save Thomas a little bit.’’
Of Boykin, Carroll said with a smile: “I thought he looked good, didn’t he? Minus-eight or something on his first carry (actually, minus-five)? No, he’s a good athlete, and he can fill in if we need him to. He just didn’t get a real good look on the first carry that he had, so we thought let’s go to Will Tukuafu, and see what Will can do, and he banged out about a 4-inch run. That might not be where we turn our focus at this time.”
Collins, a rookie from Arkansas, was inactive with Pope having been promoted off the practice squad this week. If Pope is also out for a lengthy period, the Seahawks could have to consider other options to beef up the tailback corps. One option is George Farmer, a former USC receiver who the Seahawks used at running back in the pre-season and was recently re-signed to the team’s practice squad.
The Seahawks could also scour practice squad lists if they decide to add a tailback.
Rookie left tackle George Fant also left for a time in the second quarter with a shoulder injured but returned. Rookie Rees Odhiambo, who was something of a surprise member of the active list when the Seahawks decided to make veterans Bradley Sowell and J’Marcus Webb inactive, played a couple series with Fant out.
“Yes, that was great for him to have a chance to get out there and did a nice job,” Carroll said of Odhiambo. “It seemed like he held up his part of it. George got back out there, George really toughed it out, and got back on the field and played some more. That’s just fantastic for us to get these young guys chances to play and successful outings; we build on those.”