Seahawks Updates: LB Jordyn Brooks out with ‘legit’ ACL injury

The Seahawks will get one last shot at making the playoffs in their regular season finale Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, but they’ll have to play that game without one of their most important players.

Takeaways: How Seahawks impressed vs Jets in must-win game

Monday on Seattle Sports’ Pete Carroll Show, the Seahawks’ head coach said that Jordyn Brooks suffered a “legit” ACL injury, meaning the third-year linebacker is done for the season.

Brooks, a first-round pick by Seattle in 2020, currently ranks third in the NFL in tackles this season with 161, behind only Jacksonville’s Foyesade Oluokun (171) and Kansas City’s Nick Bolton (165). He assumed the Seahawks’ middle linebacker and defensive signal-calling roles after the team parted ways with All-Pro Bobby Wagner prior to this season.

“He has an ACL injury and it’s legit,” Carroll told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk during his weekly Monday conversation. “He had an unfortunate kind of landing on the sidelines over there. Just kind of as he was spinning, he just got his knee torqued. Didn’t get hit on it, (but) as he was kind of rotating around the tackle he landed awkwardly and unfortunately got hurt. That’s a shame. What a great, great player and a great teammate.”

Carroll added during his Monday afternoon press conference that Brooks is headed for surgery.

The 25-year-old Brooks was quickly ruled out for the rest of Seattle’s 23-6 win over the Jets following his injury, with Cody Barton sliding over to the MIKE (middle) linebacker spot and calling the signals. Carroll said that will continue to be the case Sunday against the Rams.

“Cody becomes the MIKE. He’s been the backup MIKE the whole time, which isn’t that big of a deal – he’s a very good play caller so he’ll handle those duties,” Carroll said.

Carroll said Tanner Muse, who took over Barton’s usual position following Brooks’ injury Sunday, “played well,” and that Muse, Jon Rhattigan and others will be looked at to help going forward at linebacker.

“We’re gonna want to see all these guys contributing to help us out. Guys got to step up, and that’s what they’ll do,” Carroll said.

Pete Carroll told us today that Jordyn Brooks has an ACL injury so his season is over. How will they replace him going forward? Pete offered three names: pic.twitter.com/OmdhomM5Jr

— Mike Salk, Seattle Sports Station (@TheMikeSalk) January 2, 2023

Latest on Lockett’s hand and leg

There was a bit of a scare for the Seahawks coming out of halftime Sunday with wide receiver Tyler Lockett staying on the sidelines at first.

Lockett had returned from a surgically-repaired hand fracture for the game after missing only one contest, and the good news is the hand wasn’t the issue.

“He got his leg kicked and got a lower leg contusion that bothered him right in the area where he had hurt his leg before,” Carroll said. “It was really sore during the game, and so he tried to get through that and got back in the game a little bit, but he got banged.”

Lockett was able to make two catches for 15 yards despite having suffered his hand injury only 2 1/2 weeks prior.

“He made it through the hand thing famously. That’s crazy. That’s so crazy,” Carroll said. “There’s no words to describe his competitiveness and his will to be ‘part of,’ you know. He was amazing. That was great stuff.”

The Seahawks (8-8 record) will finish out the regular season against the Rams (5-11) in a Sunday game at a time yet to be announced. The Seahawks Radio Network broadcast of the game will be carried on Seattle Sports 710 AM and KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM beginning at least three hours before kickoff with the pregame show.

The Pete Carroll Show airs live on Seattle Sports 710 AM at 9:30 a.m. every Monday during the football season or the first weekday after a Seahawks game. You can listen to this week’s edition here.

For details on what needs to happen for the Seahawks to make the playoffs, click the link below.

State of the Seahawks: The path to playoffs, where pick from Broncos sits

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