RENTON — Bradley Sowell’s injury isn’t as bad as it was initially feared. However, the Seattle Seahawks still have to find a temporary solution at left tackle.
Sowell left Sunday night’s 6-6 tie against the Arizona Cardinals and was carted back to the locker room during the fourth quarter with what turned out to be a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee. However, an MRI performed Monday revealed no further damage.
“Bradley has an MCL sprain that isn’t going to require surgery,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. “It’s going to take a few weeks, we’ll see what it takes to get him back.”
Sowell’s place was taken Monday night not by veteran J’Marcus Russell, but rather by undrafted rookie George Fant. Fant, who was a basketball player in college, had taken just two offensive snaps in the NFL prior to that.
“(Fant) did an admirable job for his first time ever, and we’ll see how he goes,” said Carroll, who earlier in the day during his radio show on 710 ESPN emphasized that filling the position via trade was unlikely. “We’ve got some choices. J’Marcus has moved around, played around. Of course Garry (Gilliam, the starter at right tackle) has played over there. We have some things we can work with.”
Carroll said Sowell’s injury was the only significant one that emerged from Sunday’s game. However, he wasn’t the only loss. Carroll also revealed Monday that rookie defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, who was scratched from Sunday’s game after suffering a knee injury in practice last week, underwent surgery and will be out for a while.
There was some good news on the injury front, however. Carroll said he was optimistic strong safety Kam Chancellor, who missed the past two games because of a groin strain, will recover in time for next Sunday’s road game against the New Orleans Saints. Carroll also said running back Thomas Rawls, who’s been out since the second week of the season with a cracked fibula, is scheduled to resume running this week in preparation for returning the following week.
Carroll did not know whether linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who missed Sunday’s game because of a sprained ankle, would be able to return against the Saints.
For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter @NickHPatterson.
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