Seahawks TE John Carlson to go on IR with torn labrum
Aug 30, 2011, 4:04 PM | Updated: 11:05 pm
710Sports.com staff
Seahawks tight end John Carlson will have season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, coach Pete Carroll announced on Tuesday.
Carlson, 27, had 137 catches over the past three seasons. He was expected to be the Seahawks’ No. 2 tight end behind Zach Miller, a Pro Bowler who signed a five-year deal earlier this month. Carroll said after Miller’s signing that Carlson would still factor heavily into the offense.
“That’s a big loss for us,” Carroll told reporters on Tuesday.
Carlson, a second-round pick in 2008, is entering the final year of his contract.
His injury opens the door for backups Anthony McCoy
and Dominique Byrd, who have both been productive in the preseason. McCoy, a sixth-round pick in 2010 who finished last season on Injured Reserve, had touchdowns in each of the Seahawks’ first two preseason games. Byrd was the team’s leading receiver in those games and had a touchdown catch against Denver on Saturday.
710 ESPN Seattle’s Liz Mathews contributed to this report.
