[ad_1]
This time, Pete Carroll wasn’t just engaging in subterfuge.
Instead, when he insisted Friday that DK Metcalf would be a game-time decision and might miss Sunday’s game against Arizona he turned out to be right.
Metcalf was declared as one of Seattle’s seven inactives for the 1:05 p.m. kickoff against Arizona due to rib and hip injuries and will miss the first game of his NFL career.
Also inactive are running back Zach Charbonnet, center Evan Brown, guard Phil Haynes, tackle McClendon Curtis, linebacker Devin Bush and cornerback Artie Burns.
Haynes is out with a calf injury, Brown an ankle injury and Charbonnet a hamstring issue. All had been listed as questionable as had Metcalf.
Metcalf had played in all 71 games of his career, and played through a rib injury suffered in Week 2 at Detroit the past three games, usually missing practices on Wednesday and Thursday before doing some work on Friday.
Metcalf suffered a hip injury in the first half last Sunday at Cincinnati but returned to play the second half. And when he practiced on a limited basis Friday, it was easy to assume that he would again play even if he was also listed as questionable.
Metcalf had been listed as questionable for a Week 3 game against Carolina, as well, but then played and his track record of durability made it tempting to think he’d play again.
Instead, Seattle will have to depend on rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo to take up the slack, along with Cody Thompson and former WSU standout Easop Winston Jr. Winston was elevated off the practice squad Saturday and will play in his first Seahawks game today.
Brown and Haynes being inactive means Seattle will have just two of its opening-day starts on the offensive line available — left tackle Charles Cross and left guard Damien Lewis.
Rookie Olu Oluwatimi will start at center, his first NFL start, the team announced. The Seahawks also signed Joey Hunt off the practice squad on Saturday and he will serve as the backup center today.
Anthony Bradford will likely start again at right guard in place of Haynes and Jake Curhan is active and could start again at right tackle, though Stone Forsythe can also play there.
And with Charbonnet out, DeeJay Dallas will be the backup running back and rookie SaRodorick Thompson, who was elevated off the practice squad Saturday, will serve as the third RB.
Burns and Bush are active scratches.
[ad_2]
