Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett will have surgery to repair a broken bone in his left hand, coach Pete Carroll confirmed Friday.
Carroll said the surgery could allow Lockett to come back soon, intimating he might miss only Seattle’s next game Dec. 24 at Kansas City.
“Very optimistic review this morning from the docs that he’s got a chance to get back quickly,” Carroll said. “We’ll see if it can happen.”
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49ers 21, Seahawks 13
Lockett suffered the break — which Carroll described as a spiral crack in his first metacarpal — on Seattle’s final offensive series of Thursday night’s 21-13 loss to the 49ers. Carroll said Lockett will have surgery outside the Seattle area — he didn’t specify where — adding, “We’ve had good success with this guy in the past. …. They can maybe pull off something that would surprise us a little bit here, so we’ll see. And I know that that’s what Tyler is wanting to do.”
Given a question that referenced that Lockett could miss “a couple” games, Carroll said “you mentioned two weeks, you know, who said two weeks?”
After facing the Chiefs, the Seahawks face the New York Jets on Jan. 1 and the Los Angeles Rams on either Jan. 7 or Jan. 8. Both games are at Lumen Field.
The Seahawks want and need Lockett back as soon as possible to help halt their recent slide. They have lost four of their past five games, turning a 6-3 start into a 7-7 record and placing once-glittering playoff odds in jeopardy.
Lockett has missed only two regular-season games in his career and only one due to injury. He leads the Seahawks with 964 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions this season.
The Seahawks will rely more on DK Metcalf and third receiver Marquise Goodwin, and they must hope that Dee Eskridge, who is eligible to come off injured reserve because of a hand injury, can return.
Asked how the Seahawks might replace Lockett, Carroll said, “Give us a chance to work on that,” hinting at another possible move.
Seattle could sign Laquon Treadwell, who is on the practice squad, to the 53-man roster. Treadwell, a first-round draft pick of the Vikings in 2016, was elevated off the practice squad for the three games before Thursday night but can no longer be elevated.
“But you don’t replace him,” Carroll said of Lockett, who was voted this year by teammates as the offensive captain for the first time in his career.
“He’s an extraordinary player that we’re not going to ask guys to do the same thing and hope they hopefully do it just like Tyler does,” Carroll said. “We’re gonna use our guys to their strengths. And so that’s how we’ll do that. Marquis has played really well and really helped us in a number of ways. And leaning on him is a good idea. Our tight ends are ready to help us at anytime, as well. And we’ll see as we get back at it.”
Lockett was apparently injured with 3:52 left when he dived to try to catch a short pass to the right side. It was the third-to-last offensive play for the Seahawks.
Mone has ACL injury
Carroll said tests confirmed that nose tackle Bryan Mone suffered an ACL injury Thursday. Mone played just five snaps before being injured in the first quarter, leaving Seattle especially short-handed up front, with Al Woods inactive due to an Achilles injury.
Without both of the team’s regular nose tackles, Poona Ford and Myles Adams had to fill in.
Carroll said he didn’t know if Woods would be able to make it back for the Kansas City game.
“Hopefully,’’ Carroll said. “But we’re not going to know until late in the week, until he can bang around on it to see if he can handle it.”
But Carroll hinted that the Seahawks could sign a player, saying, “We’re spending some time on it.” Seattle has no defensive linemen on its practice squad.
‘No structural issues’ in Brooks’ neck
Middle linebacker Jordyn Brooks sat out most of the fourth quarter because of a neck issue, playing just 43 of 64 snaps.
Carroll said Friday that tests showed “no structural issues” with Brooks’ neck but added that his status is unclear.
“All the pictures that they took were negative, so that’s a good sign,” Carroll said. “But he’s got some soreness, so we’re going to go through a process and try to alleviate the discomfort.”
With Brooks out, Cody Barton moved to middle linebacker, and Tanner Muse replaced Barton at weakside linebacker.
Muse, a 2020 third-round draft pick by the Raiders out of Clemson, played 19 snaps and finished with four tackles in his first significant action on defense in his two seasons with Seattle — he has been a regular on special teams.
“Tanner came in and did a nice job,” Carroll said. “ … Had a couple good hits, played downhill. I was happy for him.”
Woolen takes blame for Kittle TD
Carroll said the 49ers’ third TD of the game — a 54-yard pass from Brock Purdy to George Kittle on the second play of the second half that made the score 21-3 — was the result of a coverage bust by rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen.
Although the play was a big mistake for a player who has mostly led a charmed life in his rookie season, Carroll said he was impressed with the way Woolen handled it.
“He’s supposed to be back playing zone, and he chased a receiver down inside,” Carroll said. “Was just a gimme. It was just too easy. In a game like that, it’s too easy. He’s sick about it. I walked out with him last night, and he was so disappointed because it’s such an easy play to make. They don’t even throw the ball if he just does what we normally do.
“ … It was interesting the responsibility he feels and how seriously he took it. He feels like he let guys down and stuff. He made an error that cost us. But this is a moment for him, and hopefully he just continues to accept the responsibility that he has. He even mentioned how he’s never felt like this before, where he felt such a big part and everybody’s counting on him and all that. He wants to come through, and he took it really the right way and will do everything in his power to not let it happen again.”
Notes
- Carroll said running back Kenneth Walker III, who returned Thursday after missing the Carolina game because of an ankle injury, was sore Friday but otherwise made it through fine. Seattle will have four days off for its mini-bye before returning to practice Tuesday for the Kansas City game, allowing Walker and others time to heal.
- Carroll said he didn’t know if running back DeeJay Dallas will be available against the Chiefs. Dallas has missed two games because of a high-ankle sprain.