Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said during his Wednesday press conference at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center that tight end Jimmy Graham would undergo surgery on his injured knee later that day, if everything went well with meetings with the doctors earlier in the day. Graham is on the east coast being evaluated.
Graham suffered the injury during Sunday’s 39-30 victory over Pittsburgh, when Graham tore the patellar tendon in his right knee attempting to catch a pass in the end zone. He has already been placed on injured reserve and is out for the remainder of the season.
Carroll said he expected Graham to be ready by the start of next season.
Graham was acquired by Seattle from New Orleans in a blockbuster trade during the offseason, with the Seahawks surrendering Pro Bowl center Max Unger and a first-round draft pick while also picking up a fourth rounder. Graham, a three-time Pro Bowler with the Saints, finished the season with 48 receptions for 605 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games.
Carroll was asked Wednesday to assess the Graham trade now that Graham’s season is over:
“I love him on our team,” Carroll said. “I love the guy on our team. He’s a terrific teammate, he brings character and personality to our team, he’s a dynamic player. I can only see for really cool things to happen in the future. I think it’s going to be a great long-term decision that we made. We’re really happy to have him and miss the heck out of him.”
With Graham out, Luke Willson will step into Seattle’s No. 1 tight end position. However, Carroll said the offense won’t change with Willson, who has 380 fewer career catches, playing in place of Graham.
“We’re not going to change,” Carroll said. “It may seem like it, but we didn’t really change when Jimmy got here, in essence. We just wanted to get the football there. We always thought we had the routes and concepts to call on, we just need to put them in position so we could get that done. So we’re not going to change much. I don’t see us changing at all, really.”
Also Wednesday:
– Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who was named Seattle’s Man of the Year Wednesday, was asked about his plans beyond football. Sherman, unsurprisingly, said he’d like to work talking about football, specifically on television.
– Carroll said fullback Will Tukuafu and defensive end Demarcus Dobbs, who both suffered concussions Sunday, are progressing well through the concussion protocol and could be able to make it back for this Sunday’s game at Minnesota.
—- UPDATE, 4 p.m.
The Seahawks brought center Drew Nowak back Wednesday, signing him to the practice squad and releasing cornerback Douglas McNeill III.
Nowak has had an eventful season. The converted defensive tackle began the season as the surprise No. 1 center, starting the first five games. However, he lost his position to Patrick Lewis, was inactive the past three games, then was waived Tuesday. He cleared waivers, allowing the Seahawks to bring him back on the practice squad.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
