Clayton: Where Seahawks sit after injuries, cuts and latest preseason loss

Pete Carroll didn’t play 27 of his players Saturday against the Denver Broncos, one less than in the preseason opener, and the Seahawks paid the price.

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They lost to the Broncos 30-3 and have been outscored 50-10 so far this preseason. Carroll said he will play some starters this Saturday in the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, and that will be welcome.

Not playing starters has been the theme of the this preseason league-wide. Last week, 522 players sat out. Believe it or not, the numbers increased this week. Excluding the Monday night game between the New Orleans Saints against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 547 players didn’t play. Part of the reason for the increase this week is because 16 teams had joint practices and coaches decided they saw enough to sit their starters.

As for the Seahawks’ performance Saturday, they ran the ball more in the first half than the did in the opener. Alex Collins still looks like the lead to be the backup running back. He’s running well. Rashaad Penny had only eight yards in five carries in his preseason debut, while Josh Johnson showed some promise.

Even though he didn’t get a carry, DeeJay Dallas was a star. His kickoff returns are fast and exciting. He did well on special teams and even blocked a punt. And you know how good he is catching the football, which also factored in as he had three receptions for 27 yards.

The unfortunate news for the Seahawks from the game were injuries. Linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven and wide receiver John Ursua both blew out their ACLs and are lost for the season.

Nick Bellore did a nice job filling in as the backup middle linebacker, but you have to wonder if the Seahawks could add another linebacker. Could they go for K.J. Wright? Even though he’s an outside linebacker, he has filled in a little at middle linebacker during his career. Could the Seahawks consider signing Wright and maybe letting Cody Barton learn plays at middle linebacker?

On Monday, the Seahawks worked out former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins. His workout was considered good and he might be able to join his former Bengals teammate Carlos Dunlap on Seattle’s defensive line.

The Seahawks cut their roster to 80 on Monday by placing Ursua and Burr-Kirvan on injured reserve and releasing three players. Quarterback Alex McGough, who has struggled with fumbles and interceptions, was cut. Sean Mannion looked so much better replacing McGough on Saturday. Tight end Dominik Wood-Anderson committed four penalties and was let go. They also released Cedrick Lattimore to get down to 80.

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