Seahawks’ Barrett Ruud recovering from three injuries
Apr 23, 2012, 2:56 PM | Updated: 3:20 pm
By Brady Henderson
The Seahawks aren’t penciling Barrett Ruud into a starting spot until the veteran middle linebacker recovers from three separate injuries.
Barrett Ruud |
“He has multiple injury situations this offseason with a groin, a knee and a shoulder, so he’s coming back from all of that,” coach Pete Carroll said during the team’s pre-draft press conference on Monday. “He is working out, he’s doing a lot of stuff, but we’re going to be very careful with him in bringing him back.”
The Seahawks signed Ruud to a one-year deal earlier this month after David Hawthorne signed with the Saints. Ruud had 57 tackles and an interception in nine games for the Titans last season before he was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. He spent his first six seasons with the Buccaneers, making at least 100 tackles from 2007-2010.
Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley worked with Ruud for three seasons in Tampa Bay, first as a defensive quality control coach and then as the Buccaneers’ linebackers coach.
“When he gets full speed he can play. He started six years in the NFL at ‘Mike,’ so that’s a tremendous boost for us right now, knowing that we have a guy that understands the scheme, he’s bright, he can lead it, he can call it,” Carroll said. “If he was healthy Day 1 it would be a different thing but it’s going to take him a little while before he’s right. He’s still recovering.”
Rudd, 28, missed just one game during his six years with Tampa Bay.
“He’s never been hurt before. This is the first year he’s ever had anything and he had three things that bothered him, so he had them all fixed,” Carroll said.
The Seahawks are confident in K.J. Wright’s ability to play middle linebacker if necessary. Wright, a fourth-round pick last year, started the season opener in place of Hawthorne before he became a starter at outside linebacker.