JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sunday was Eddie Lacy’s turn to be a healthy inactive on the Seahawks’ carousel of mothballed running backs.
Why? Money.
The Seahawks saved $62,500 of the veteran’s weekly bonus cash for being active on game days. That’s how up against it the team is in regards to the NFL salary cap.
The team essentially entered the weekend with 50 available players on the 53-man active roster. Carroll already has said strong safety Kam Chancellor (neck) and right guard Oday Aboushi (shoulder) are out for the season. But the Seahawks have yet to put either on injured reserve because it would take money to sign a new player to fill their roster spots. IR players continue to get paid their base salaries and count fully against the cap.
And defensive end Dion Jordan missed his third consecutive game Sunday with a nerve issue in his neck.
Seattle is likely waiting for running back Chris Carson to be healthy enough to come off IR and replace either Chancellor or Aboushi on the roster at no extra cost against the cap. But Carroll said Friday that Carson, the rookie lead back before his ankle injury and surgery in early October, had a setback in his recovery.
Carson remains on IR indefinitely.
McDowell reportedly arrested
This has been a really bad year for Malik McDowell.
The Seahawks’ top pick in the 2017 NFL draft was arrested in Atlanta for disorderly conduct at the door of an Atlanta night club, according to a report Sunday from TMZ.
A Seahawks spokesman at Sunday’s 30-24 loss at Jacksonville had no comment on the report. Coach Pete Carroll said nothing about it. It sounded as if the team didn’t immediately know much more than what TMZ reported — or at least nothing it wanted to share.
The defensive lineman from Michigan State has not practiced let alone played for Seattle since his ATV accident in July in Michigan. He suffered serious head injuries in the accident, including a concussion. The Seahawks don’t know when or if he will be able to play for them.
McDowell’s latest incident came while his team was here in Florida to play the Jaguars. He hasn’t been part of daily team functions this season. TMZ’s report said McDowell, who turned 21 in June, was arrested early Sunday in Atlanta after a police officer said “she saw him getting into a verbal altercation outside the front doors of a club called St. Lounge.”
TMZ cited an incident report that stated McDowell was shouting at the head of security for the club about $600 he believed St. Lounge owed him. After eventually being allowed in the club, he was kicked out while still shouting about the $600, the report states.
“The cop says she was told McDowell poured out a couple bottles of liquor inside and got booted,” TMZ’s report said.
McDowell then reportedly went on a profanity-filled tirade against two officers. The arresting officer reported she felt she almost had to use pepper spray and a taser to subdue McDowell, but ultimately did not.
He was booked for disorderly conduct and released on $325 bond, the report states.
Another dreadful start
The Seahawks trailed 3-0 after yet another first half of mostly nothing on offense.
Yet they got into position to tie the game just before halftime because — of all things — effective runs by a running back.
Mike Davis ran the first four plays of a drive late in the second quarter for 49 yards, to get Seattle from its own 21-yard line to the Jacksonville 30. Three of those runs for 44 yards were to the left side, behind tackle Duane Brown and guard Luke Joeckel, with one decisive kick-out block by Justin Britt on Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny.
The Seahawks then mostly played for the tying field goal, letting the clock run down to 27 seconds then coming up short of the first down on Wilson’s third-down flip pass to J.D. McKissic.
Walsh jogged onto the field for a 38-yard field goal to tie the game. Lined up on the right hash mark, Walsh kicked the ball basically straight — and just wide right of the right upright, no good. Seattle went to the half down 3-0 instead of tied.
Walsh began his Seahawks debut season 12-for-13 on field goals. He’s 7-for-13 since that point.
Asked if that’s concerning, Carroll said: “It’s not any longer. That’s already passed. We’ll go on to the next game. Here we go.”
Extra points
Wilson was 9-for-15 passing in the first half for 36 yards and an interception on a post route to the end zone in the second quarter. Jaguars star cornerback Jalen Ramsey easily intercepted that ball when intended receiver Doug Baldwin tripped over his own feet just before the ball arrived. … Davis left late in the third quarter with a rib injury. Carroll didn’t have any word on the severity. … Tight end Jimmy Graham finished with zero catches on three targets after scoring nine touchdowns in his previous eight games. … Baldwin said Jacksonville played more zone coverage than the Seahawks expected.
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