2 key Seahawks starters will 'have a hard time playing football again'
Despite finishing with a 9-7 record, which Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson would probably give up his left arm for, the Seattle Seahawks had a disappointing season in 2017.
Not only did they miss the playoffs for just the second time of head coach Pete Carroll’s tenure, the Seahawks also saw the rise of the younger and more talented Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West.
The Rams’ 42-7 romp of a win in Seattle wasn’t a passing of the torch; it was LA ripping it out of the Seahawks’ cold, dead hands.
That loss was also indicative of another alarming trend for the Seahawks: Seattle’s aura of invincibility at home has all but disappeared. The Seahawks had a better record on the road, going 5-3, than at home in 2017.
But if there was one glimmer of hope for Seahawks fans to cling on to, it was the fact that the team’s subpar season was somewhat explainable given the rash of injuries that ravaged the roster.
Cornerback Richard Sherman’s season ended because of a devastating Achilles injury. Safety Kam Chancellor was lost for the year to a neck injury, as was top-tier pass rusher Cliff Avril.
That’s to say nothing about the injuries that have plagued many of their recent top draft picks, including George Fant, Malik McDowell and Chris Carson.
Star linebacker Bobby Wagner has also seen his effectiveness limited by various ailments, and defensive end Michael Bennett has lost a step as he creeps closer to his mid-30s.
If all of the aforementioned players return to health, the Seahawks could realistically expect to field a more competitive team in 2018.
Alas, Carroll dumped a bucket of cold water on that notion with a harrowing revelation regarding the health of Chancellor and Avril.
Speaking Tuesday on KIRO-AM radio in Seattle, Carroll said Chancellor and Avril are “going to have a hard time playing football again.”
While this news is undoubtedly bad for Seahawks fans, it shouldn’t be too surprising. Neck injuries, especially in a contact sport like football, can easily lead to premature retirement.
If Chancellor and Avril are, in fact, done, that means the Seahawks will be forced to deal with offseason questions the team hasn’t had to face since drafting Russell Wilson and Sherman in consecutive draft classes.
Bennett has already revealed that he doesn’t expect to be with the team next season.
Trade acquisition Sheldon Richardson is slated to hit free agency and will probably command a payday too rich for the Seahawks’ tastes.
There’s no guarantee that Sherman will resemble anything like the cornerback he used to be. An Achilles injury all but robbed the NBA’s Kobe Bryant of his athleticism and quickness, while also putting him in the HOV lane toward retirement.
Superstar safety Earl Thomas openly campaigned to join the Dallas Cowboys.
And Wagner, by virtue of being a smaller linebacker, may be experiencing more years to come of various ailments.
That’s to say nothing about the pieces on offense, where touchdown machine Jimmy Graham isn’t expected back.
Second-leading receiver Paul Richardson is another free agent who might price himself off the Seahawks roster.
And the porous offensive line is a perpetual project for the Wilson-era Seahawks.
This is all to say that the Seahawks, especially with Chancellor and Avril possibly being done with football, are going to look very different in 2018.
For better or, more likely, for worst.
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