What to know about injured Seahawks Jamal Adams, Devon Witherspoon, Jordyn Brooks

The Seahawks will enter practice this week for their final regular-season home game Sunday against Pittsburgh with the status of three defensive starters uncertain due to injury — linebacker Jordyn Brooks, safety Jamal Adams and cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

Adams (knee) and Witherspoon (hip pointer) have missed the past two games, and Brooks (ankle) was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s 20-17 victory over Tennessee and did not return.

Here’s what coach Pete Carroll said about each player during his weekly radio show Tuesday on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

Adams has been held out due to soreness in his surgically repaired knee. He tore the quad muscle in the 2022 season opener against Denver.

Adams has not practiced or played since playing every snap of a 28-16 loss to the 49ers on Dec. 10. He has been replaced as the starting strong safety by Julian Love.

“Jamal wants to try to [play this week],” Carroll said. “He’s gonna see where he is. He’s had some rest now. He may be able to bounce this week. We’ll find out. I don’t know the answer to that yet.”

Love was the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week last week after making two interceptions in the fourth quarter against the Eagles. On Sunday he started against the Titans despite not practicing all week to be with his wife, Julia, who gave birth to the couple’s first child, a son named Noah.

Love has played primarily in a situational third-safety or nickel role in the games in which Adams has been active. 

One option is to switch those roles some if Adams makes it back. Without Adams and Witherspoon, Seattle has used Artie Burns and Coby Bryant in five- and six-defensive back alignments.

Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick of the 2023 draft, suffered the hip pointer (a deep bruise) against the 49ers. He made the trip to Tennessee, and as Carroll noted Tuesday went through a pregame workout to see if he could play.

“He tried really hard at gameday and was out there trying to get it done, see if he could get through it,” Carroll said. “He just couldn’t get loosened up enough to go.”

Burns has replaced Witherspoon as the nickel corner, and Tre Brown and Michael Jackson have filled in for him as the starting left cornerback in the base defense.

Brooks left in the first quarter after reinjuring the same ankle that caused him to miss much of the Dallas game Nov. 30.

Carroll sounded pessimistic that Brooks will make it back for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

“His ankle was sore,” Carroll said. “There’s a question there. It’s gonna be hard to get him back.”

Devin Bush played the rest of the game at weakside linebacker alongside Bobby Wagner in the middle and likely would get the call Sunday.

Interestingly, that would come against Bush’s former team. He was the 19^th overall pick in the 2019 draft by the Steelers and was a full-time starter until last season when healthy. He made 48 starts before the Steelers declined to re-sign him last spring. 

The Seahawks signed Bush to a one-year deal worth up to $3.5 million to serve as insurance if Brooks couldn’t return for the start of the season due to a knee injury and as depth.

Bush started Sunday’s game as Seattle began with a three-linebacker alignment to combat Tennessee’s running game and finished with a season-high six tackles in 40 snaps.

Seahawks can clinch a playoff spot

According to the NFL there is one scenario in which the Seahawks can clinch a playoff berth this week — but it’s not a likely one.

Seattle can clinch a spot this week with a win over the Steelers along with a tie in the Green Bay-Minnesota game. 

Seattle, at 8-7, holds the No. 7 spot in the NFC playoff standings this week, which would mean a game at Philadelphia in the first round.

Green Bay and Minnesota are 7-8, and a Seattle win and a tie in that game would assure that none of the four teams currently 7-8 (Atlanta and New Orleans are the others) could pass them in the standings with just two games remaining.

But Seattle won’t know that by kickoff Sunday. Seattle’s game against the Steelers is set for a 1:05 p.m. start, and the Vikings and Green Bay are the Sunday night game set for 5:20 p.m.