RENTON — Seahawks safety Jamal Adams will soon have surgery to repair a knee injury that includes a damaged quad tendon and then undergo what figures to be yet another lengthy rehab.
But before he embarks on that challenge — the second straight year he has suffered a season-ending injury and third he has had a significant surgery — Adams stopped by the VMAC to talk to his teammates on the eve of their trip to San Francisco Sunday.
Adams was escorted out in a wheelchair to deliver a speech following the team’s practice.
“It was great to reconnect with him, for everybody,’’ coach Pete Carroll said.
Carroll revealed that after Adams was injured in the second quarter Monday night that he demanded to be able to stay and watch the rest of what turned out to be a 17-16 win over Russell Wilson and the Broncos.
“(They were) trying to haul him out of the stadium and he was in the box or something,’’ Carroll said. “Got the chance to watch the finish and was going crazy at the end in the way the defense played and all that.’’
Carroll said that was much of what Adams relayed to the team Friday.
“He just popped in on us at the end there,’’ Carroll said. “He had a chance to speak to the whole crew and he’s such a heartfelt guy and just let it out. And he told the guys what he was thinking and how grateful he was about the win.’’
Said rookie cornerback Coby Bryant, whose locker is next to Adams: “That’s big bro, so I was happy to see him more than anything, see that he had positivity. Obviously it’s hard seeing him like that. Obviously I wanted to play with him this year, but things happen for a reason and I know he is going to get back and become better.’’
It is expected that the injury and surgery will knock Adams out for the rest of the season. Carroll, though, wouldn’t commit to that saying only “I don’t know’’ when asked if there is a chance Adams can return this year. And he said “I don’t know the long range of it,’’ when asked about a timeline.
With Adams out, Josh Jones will join Quandre Diggs as Seattle’s starting safeties, with Ryan Neal expected to move into the third-safety role that Jones was expected to fill when Adams was healthy.
Seattle’s safety depth, though, got a little more problematic late in the week when rookie Joey Blount tweaked his hamstring in practice on Thursday. The Seahawks listed him as doubtful for Sunday’s game but Carroll said “it’s going to be hard for him to make it this weekend.’’
That means that Teez Tabor, signed by the Seahawks on Thursday, could be active for Sunday’s game as a fourth safety and special teams player.
Tabor, a second-round pick of the Lions in 2017, played cornerback his first four years in the NFL until being switched to safety last year with the Bears when Seahawks associate head coach for defense, Sean Desai, was Chicago’s defensive coordinator.
Tabor had been on Atlanta’s practice squad and said he had a chance to sign with the Falcons’ active roster this week but decided to sign with Seattle instead, calling it “a leap of faith’’ to rejoin Desai with the Seahawks and also play for Carroll, who he said he has long admired.
Said Carroll: “Sean knew him really well. He knows the system, and that was a big deal. We were looking for somebody that if somebody had to come up and help us right away, we wanted somebody from the system if we could. Fortunately, we were able to swing it.”
Coleman questionable
Aside from Blount, the only other two players listed on Seattle’s game status report are cornerbacks Justin Coleman (calf) and Artie Burns (groin). Burns has dealt with a groin injury since early in training camp and he is likely out another week with Carroll saying “it’s going to be hard’’ for him to make it back by Sunday.
That would appear to mean Seattle’s starting cornerbacks will again be rookie Tariq Woolen and Michael Jackson with Sidney Jones IV also ready to go — the same trio that played the outside spots against Denver.
Whether Coleman will play appears more uncertain.
Coleman first showed up on the injury report as limited on Thursday and then was held out on Friday, with Carroll saying “He just felt his calf tighten up a little bit (Thursday) and he thought he was fine, wanted to finish practice, we held him out.’’
Carroll said Coleman had “some pictures taken’’ Friday afternoon but they were not back yet when Carroll spoke to the media so he had no update.
If the images reveal anything significant, though, then the Seahawks will have to explore other options at nickel. One could be Jones, who played the nickel significantly earlier in his career with the Eagles, though he has been mostly an outside corner since coming to Seattle a year ago.
Seattle could also go with Bryant, who has been the backup to Coleman.
Coleman started against Denver and played 51 of 66 defensive snaps, all but four at nickel, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bryant, a fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati, played just two snaps, both at nickel, but did not play after being beaten in man coverage for what turned out to be Denver’s only touchdown — a 67-yard pass from Wilson to Jerry Jeudy in the second quarter.
Bryant said Friday that Wilson saw the Seahawks were in man coverage when linebacker Cody Barton followed a running back in motion, noticing also that Bryant was on Jeudy, “so he took a shot.’’ Bryant said “Just going back on film and learning that afterward is what is going to make me better so I know when I see that later, I can go make a play.’’
“Don’t lose your leverage, that’s the big thing with that one,’’ defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said this week of the Jeudy touchdown. “Formational, they caught us in something there and made a good play. I hate it for the kid, but I know that he has the mental fortitude to bounce back form that, and we will be OK.’’
Notes
— Left guard Damien Lewis is cleared to play after missing the Denver game with an ankle/knee injury. But Carroll hedged when asked if that means he will return to the starting lineup ahead of Phil Haynes, who played against the Broncos.
— Receiver Tyler Lockett handled what was Denver’s only punt of the game, making a fair catch in the second quarter, even though Dee Eskridge remains listed as the starting punt returner. It was just the second punt return since 2019 for Lockett, who was the team’s regular returner from 2015-19. Carroll indicated Lockett will continue to return punts. “He is a fantastic catcher and a great decision-maker back there,’’ Carroll said. “….He will make the great choices and decisions and will make it hard on those guys covering if he gets his work back there. We will see what happens when we get to game time.”
— The 49ers listed tight end George Kittle, who missed the opener against the Bears, as questionable with a groin injury. Kittle had nine receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns when the 49ers and Seahawks last played, a 30-23 win for Seattle at Lumen Field last Dec. 5. Carroll said the Seahawks are preparing as if Kittle will play. “We respect the heck out of him, and he is a difference maker if he is playing,’’ Carroll said.