2022 NFL Team Injury Preview: Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks - SIC score 89.7

2021 record: 7-10 | 2022 FanDuel O/U win total: 5.5

After their first losing season in a decade, the Seahawks begin their quest without quarterback Russell Wilson.

Pete Carroll has yet to decide between Drew Lock, Geno Smith, or an unnamed Division rival quarterback, Seattle comes in with a handful of injury problems that make them the least-healthy team in the division with an SIC score of 89, the 7th-lowest in the NFL.

Seattle locked in wideout DK Metcalf for another three years after he underwent foot surgery to address an unspecified issue. Tyler Lockett comes in healthy once again after a career-best season of 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns working with both Wilson and Smith.

Rashaad Penny and rookie Kenneth Walker III will compete for rushes after veteran Chris Carson retired because of a neck injury he suffered last season. Penny has struggled with injuries in his career but is healthy as camp opens after closing 2021 with a dominant six-week stretch, rushing 102 times for 706 yards and six touchdowns.

On defense, safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs and cornerback Tre Brown all underwent surgeries after suffering shoulder and finger, left ankle, and knee injuries, respectively. Adams and Brown are on the PUP list while Diggs was cleared for training camp. 

Former first-round pick Jordyn Brooks will step in as the defacto defensive quarterback after Bobby Wagner’s departure after making 109 tackles in 17 games last season, and the defensive line was replenished with multiple free agent signings who carry no injury concerns.

S Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs - SIC score 93, 93

Diggs’ dislocated ankle and fractured fibula should be fully healed, and he will get better as the season progresses and he regains strength in his leg. 

Adams, however, continues to struggle with his left middle and ring fingers that he has dislocated 10 and 12 times over the last two years, most recently leaving the team last week after fracturing his finger at practice. 

Adams has decided not to undergo surgery, which the Docs say would have him back in 2-to-4 weeks, and will instead wear a cast on his left hand for games during the season. 

The injury still shouldn’t limit him this season, but it will remain a nuisance after three surgeries over the last two offseasons. 

WR DK Metcalf - SIC score 92

Metcalf signed a three-year, $73 million contract last week and returned to practice for the first time since undergoing a foot surgery in February to remove pre-existing hardware.

Metcalf suffered a left foot fracture as a freshman in 2016 and the removed screw was likely a remnant from that surgery, according to the Docs. 

The 24-year-old is healthy coming into his fourth season and shouldn’t be limited, although the Docs carry a tinge of concern that he will suffer another Jones fracture in his left foot especially considering his size and weight and the force he puts on his foot.

RB Chris Carson - SIC score 19

The 27-year-old suffered a neck injury early in 2021 and decided to undergo surgery in November that had him in line to return in time for 2022. 

Carson didn’t make any headway in his recovery by OTAs in early June, which signaled to the Pro Football Docs that he was unlikely to be cleared by the team doctors. 

Carson retired last week after rushing for 3,502 yards and 24 touchdowns over five seasons.