RENTON -- While the Seahawks know for sure that safety Jamal Adams will be out for this week's game against the Minnesota Vikings, they'll have to wait until closer to game time to determine whether five players listed as questionable will be able to go.
Additionally, a decision on whether newly added defensive tackle Damon Harrison will be elevated from the practice squad for the game has yet to be made as well.
Harrison and defensive end Jonathan Bullard both had short weeks to try and get up to speed with the Seahawks. Harrison is on the team's practice squad for now while Seattle signed Bullard to the active roster off the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Pete Carroll said on Friday after practice that Harrison and Bullard had done enough to show they could be options for Sunday night's game.
"It gives us the chance to choose," Carroll said. "That's where we are (with) what to do with those guys and we'll play it all the way through the weekend, until Sunday before we determine what we're doing there for you guys."
Adams was ruled out early in the week due to a groin injury sustained against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago. The team is going to give him the extra week of rest with the team's bye week upcoming after the Vikings game to get fully healed.
"He's applying himself to his rehab like he does on the football field and so he's really going for it and he's going to be ready next turn. Just not this one," Carroll said.
Linebacker Jordan Brooks (knee), safety Lano Hill (back), running back Carlos Hyde (shoulder), guard Mike Iupati (knee/back) and cornerback Quinton Dunbar (knee) are the five players listed as questionable for Seattle.
Brooks and Hill both appear unlikely to play against the Vikings. Hyde is the closest to a turn coin flip while Iupati and Dunbar seem to have positive momentum to be available.
Brooks injured his knee when he took a cut block from Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys two weeks ago. He was unable to practice this week but has made progress late in the week.
"I just walked off the field with him and he is feeling a lot better and he has made a turn," Carroll said. "So it's positive. Again, with that (bye) week next week looming it's kind of hard to not use utilize that for some of these guys and so that's in the back of my mind for sure."
Hill had a back issue surface the morning of the Dallas game and has been essentially sidelined ever since. Carroll wasn't too optimistic about Hill's progress at this point and indicated the issue may be more significant.
"He has not been able to make the turn," Carroll said. "He's got some issues that he's dealing with that, it seems to be kind of, you know, in a pattern where it's not changing much. So we're concerned about him getting right. There's not much he can do.
"He's got some stuff that he's dealing with. He just has to get through and it has to resolve and if it doesn't, then it could be a long term deal for him. So we just got to get him in one day to the next and see what happens and his attitude is really good and all, but he's not getting the relief that we would like to see happen. He's not looking like he's gonna be able to get back. If he does, he does. And he'll pop back when he comes. He can run, he can do a lot of things, but there's some issues that he has so there's a question about him each week right now."
Ryan Neal will get another start at strong safety in place of Adams and Hill against the Vikings on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Dunbar appears set to return after missing two games with a knee issue. He may split time at the position regardless with Tre Flowers.
"He did really well, particularly yesterday, and practiced in a full-go practice and there's a really good chance that he's going to be ready to go," Carroll said.
Iupati had a back issue surface this week but it has mellowed out and Carroll expects that he'll be able to go as well.
"Mike came back today and felt okay. We took care of him today. But he just had some lower back spasms or something that jumped up and resolved real quickly," Carroll said.
Hyde has been able to practice each of the last two weeks. However, a shoulder injury has kept him in a red no-contact jersey as the team tried to prevent any further injury. If he can't go, DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer will continue to serve as the backup running backs to Chris Carson if Hyde is held out again.
"Well both of the weeks have been good for him in that he's been able to work and get good speed work done and timing and all that," Carroll said. "We just have to make the decision on whether or not he's going to be safe to go and we don't want to set him back at all knowing that we have a big break coming. He's another one of those guys kind of falls in that kind of consideration. He probably could play this game and we know that and so he's got to do some, some politicking here on the way out to the weekend and see how that conversation goes all the way up to Sunday."
Photo Credit: PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Damon Harrison #98 of the Detroit Lions reacts after sacking Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Lions defeated the Eagles 27-24. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)