Seahawks Insider: Pete Carroll has contingency plans at cornerback, left tackle
Oct 4, 2017, 8:59 AM | Updated: 9:23 am
Seahawks' LT Rees Odhiambo suffered a bruised sternum that left him hospitalized Sunday. (AP)
(AP)
For the second time in the span of two months, the Seahawks may have to find a contingency plan at left tackle after Rees Odhiambo suffered a bruised sternum that landed him in the hospital on Sunday night.
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Seattle has a couple of options at the left tackle spot, and which one the Seahawks pick could say plenty about the future plans at the position.
On the one hand, there’s Matt Tobin, who was acquired from Philadelphia after George Fant suffered a season-ending knee injury. Tobin is a versatile player, capable of playing both guard and tackle and he has been active for the Seahawks in all four regular-season games.
“His experience has really shown,” coach Pete Carroll said, “and that gives us tremendous flexibility, which really helps.”
Tobin would be the more conventional, more expected pick. Then again, this is the Seahawks we’re talking about here, and the guy with more upside is Isaiah Battle, a third-year player the Seahawks acquired from Kansas City a week before the regular season started.
Battle entered the NFL via the supplemental draft in 2015, chosen in the fifth round by the Rams where he spent his first two NFL seasons. He is 6-feet-6 with long arms, and Carroll and his coaching staff are very hopeful for his long-term prospects.
“He is a tremendous looking young kid,” Carroll said. “He’s got a chance to be a really good player. He’s growing with us, not as experienced, so he has to learn a little bit more of our stuff and our style and all that. But he shows very, very well in practice and he is a little bit like J.D. McKissic has shown us. You can see why this guy can play and we will see how he does and see what happens in the weeks ahead. I wouldn’t be surprised if he does wind up playing sometime and does a really nice job for us.”
The plans at cornerback are much more straight-forward. Jeremy Lane left Sunday’s game with what was initially categorized as a hip injury. Carroll said Monday it was actually a strain to the groin muscle that Lane suffered.
If Lane is unavailable, rookie Shaquill Griffin would move into the starting slot with Justin Coleman coming on to play in the nickel defense. Deshawn Shead — a starter last season — remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list as he recovers from knee surgery, but is eligible to begin practicing with the team after the bye.
