Seahawks Injuries: Jamal Adams ‘needs work’; Walker update

The Seattle Seahawks have a short list of injuries stemming from their Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos. In fact, the list is really just one name. Unfortunately for Seattle, it’s a big one.

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Three-time Pro Bowl strong safety Jamal Adams appears headed for surgery on a knee injury he suffered in the first half Monday night when he tried to sack Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.

“Yeah, he’s hurt,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday morning on his weekly show on Seattle Sports 710 AM. “He hurt his knee and he’s gonna have to get some some work on that. I don’t know the extent of it yet but I know it’s serious.”

Adams couldn’t put weight on his left leg after his lower body whipped around trying to take down Wilson, and he had to be carted off the Seahawks’ sideline a few minutes later. He was visibly upset while on the cart, and understandably so. Injuries shortened each of his first two seasons with the Seahawks, who made a blockbuster trade to acquire him before the 2020 campaign from the Jets and then signed the talented defensive back to a lucrative four-year contract extension in 2021. Adams, 26, played just 12 games in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“It just breaks your heart,” said Carroll, whose comments seemed to indicate that the Seahawks expect Adams to miss a considerable amount of time. “He loves the game so much. We’re gonna miss him so much. The fact that he is such a heartthrob about the game of football, he loves playing, and it’s just, he can’t deal with it right now about, you know – ‘How could this keep happening?’ It was good he had his mom and dad in the in the locker room… to kind of help them through it and all that. But it’s really tough. I hope everybody sends all the love to him.”

Adams set an NFL record for most sacks in a season by a defensive back in 2020, but that physical style of play seems to have taken a toll on his body as a myriad of injuries have slowed him down during his Seahawks career. He’s had multiple surgeries on his fingers, including having two of them fused this offseason, and he re-broke the middle finger on his left hand in training camp last month. He’s also had shoulder repairs and missed time in 2020 with a groin strain.

While numerous other Seahawks players had to come off the field for various minor injuries, Carroll said Adams’ was the only one that was serious.

“We came out OK. For the most part, guys that missed a little bit here and there came back and played in. Jamal was the one significant injury,” he said.

Walker’s Seahawks debut imminent

One notable absence from the Seahawks’ opener Monday night was running back Kenneth Walker III, one of Seattle’s second-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Walker was on Seattle’s inactive list as he continued to recover from hernia surgery, which he underwent following an injury in the team’s first preseason game.

Carroll had good news about the Michigan State product on Monday morning, however.

“Kenny Walker is gonna be out there this week for us to add to that,” Carroll said while speaking about Seattle’s running game.

Following the trade of Wilson to Denver, it was expected the Seahawks would have a renewed focus on running the ball in 2022, and the addition of Walker to a backfield led by starter Rashaad Penny certainly added validity to that belief. Penny ran for 60 yards on 12 carries against the Broncos, but he was pretty much it for Seattle’s rushing attack as Travis Homer was the only other back to be given a carry. Expect that to change if Walker is healthy enough to go on Sunday afternoon against the San Francisco 49ers.

You can catch The Pete Carroll Show live on Seattle Sports 710 AM at 9:30 a.m. the morning after each Seahawks game. Listen to this week’s edition at this link or in the player below.

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