Seahawks may need new backup plan with Tarvaris Jackson injury

Tarvaris Jackson is a player the Seahawks don’t necessarily want to use during the regular season.

The concern after Friday’s game, however, is whether Seattle’s backup quarterback will be ready to.

Jackson suffered a sprained ankle in the third quarter when a Denver defensive lineman landed on his leg after Jackson had released a pass. Jackson tried to limp off the field initially, but couldn’t. He sat down and was tended to by trainers before coming off.

Related: Seahawks lose preseason opener 22-20 to Broncos

Tests found no fractures in the ankle. The question now is how long the sprain will keep him out.

“It’s going to be a little bit,” coach Pete Carroll said after the game. “It depends how he comes back.”

Jackson was Seattle’s starting quarterback in 2011 and has served as Russell Wilson’s backup the past two years. While he was .500 as a starting quarterback, he is one of the league’s top backups and his experience under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell makes him the perfect backup for Seattle.

R.J. Archer is currently No. 3 on Seattle’s quarterback depth chart. He was 11-for-20 passing in the second half after Jackson left with an injury, and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to running back Thomas Rawls with 2:56 left in the fourth quarter, allowing Seattle to cut its deficit to 22-20.

Jackson’s injury means more opportunity for Archer, according to Carroll.

“It’s just going to push R.J. get a lot more work in the next couple weeks,” Carroll said.

Carroll said the team will have to wait and see whether it needs to add another quarterback to the roster in the wake of Jackson’s injury.

“I don’t know about that yet,” Carroll said. “We’ve got to see how he looks tomorrow and all that. His ankle did not swell up much so we’ll see what that means.”

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