Tag: K.J. Wright

A look at the Seahawks injuries heading into Week 15

The Seattle Seahawks could see a number of players return from injuries in time to face the Carolina Panthers Week 15.

The Seattle Seahawks are a bit dinged up heading into Week 15 although a number of players could return to action. Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of injury updates during his Monday afternoon press conference.

Running back Rashaad Penny (knee): Penny’s season is now over after he suffered a significant knee injury against the Rams. A recent report indicates Penny has a torn ACL.

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett (leg, illness): Lockett has been battling the illness circling the Seahawks locker room but should be on the mend. “He’s fighting through it,” Carroll told reporters. “You can tell he’s carrying it. He’s out of that now. It’s a real positive for us. I’m glad for him.”

Linebacker K.J. Wright (finger): Wright only missed a few snaps Sunday night after he dislocated his finger.

Linebacker Cody Barton: Carroll couldn’t be certain yet whether or not Barton is battling a knee or ankle injury. “I don’t know that, I don’t know if it’s one or the other,” Carroll explained. “Generally, it would be your knee because it’s a more difficult injury, but I don’t know. He was okay and he went back int here. He’s very tough and very demanding of himself. He just overcame it. We’ll find out. I don’t know.”

Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (core): “He’s hurting – he’s going to have to work his way through the week to make it for game day,” Carroll cautioned. “He’s playing really tough under the circumstances. He’s got some core issues that he’s working with, but he’s making it through. He’s toughing it out, doing rehab and all that stuff.”

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah (neck): Ansah was inactive Week 14 but Carroll expects him to practice ahead of the Panthers. “Yeah, I do because he practiced last week,” Carroll said. “He certainly should, it’s just whether his strength can be mustered here by the end of the week and get back at it. We’ll look forward to that.”

Seattle and Carolina are set to kick off Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PT.

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Seahawks rookie Cody Barton to have MRI on his knee

Seattle Seahawks rookie linebacker Cody Barton suffered a pair of injuries on Sunday night, and is having an MRI done on his knee.

The Seattle Seahawks saw their already thin linebacker group take another hit on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

Starting in place of Mychal Kendricks (hamstring), rookie Cody Barton suffered both a knee and ankle injury and is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday, according to coach Pete Carroll.

“He strained his knee a little bit and [had] a little bit of an ankle thing,” Carroll said on 710 ESPN’s Pete Carroll show. “We gotta figure that out. He’s gonna get an MRI today to find out where he is. He was able to go back in the game, tough as nails and finished it, but I don’t know.”

Barton had a big role on Sunday, appearing on 58 defensive snaps (83 percent) as well as 16 snaps on the special teams. He came out after getting hurt in the fourth quarter but returned after just a few plays, apparently playing through the knee strain.

He finished with four combined tackles and one pass defended.

Barton’s health will be a big factor this week, as Kendricks may not make it back in time for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. Additionally, WILL linebacker K.J. Wright suffered a dislocated finger on Sunday, although Carroll expects him to be fine by next week.

If neither Kendricks or Barton are able to play, expect fellow rookie Ben Burr-Kirven to step into a starting role on defense.

Seattle could also opt to use their nickel package – which only requires two linebackers – a lot more as well.

Check back throughout the week for updates on Seattle’s injuries before they head South to take on the Panthers in their final road game of the season.

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K.J. Wright moves into 3rd place on Seahawks all-time tackles list

Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright is now third in franchise history in tackles, behind teammate Bobby Wagner and Eugene Robinson.

The Seattle Seahawks earned a hard-fought 37-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football – giving them a 10-2 record and a spot atop the standings in the hyper-competitive NFC West.

One of the many standouts on Seattle’s defense Monday was linebacker K.J. Wright, who recorded nine combined tackles and one pass defended.

With those nine tackles, Wright officially moved into third place on Seattle’s all-time tackles list, passing longtime Seahawks linebacker Keith Butler.

Wright also eclipsed 100 tackles on the season, the fifth time in his career that he has passed that mark.

In fact, assuming Wright stays healthy for the team’s final four games, he has a great chance to break his career-high of 130 combined tackles, set back in 2014.

Wright’s performance this year has flown a little under the radar, but considering he only played in five games last year after dealing with a myriad of injuries, it’s impressive he has rebounded so well at age 30.

Wright is now behind longtime teammate Bobby Wagner and former safety Eugene Robinson on Seattle’s all-time tackling list. Wagner hopes Wright will join him in the top-two at some point – but he’s content with him sticking right there.

“It would be really cool if when it’s all said and done it’s Bobby and K.J. right next to each other,” Wagner said in October after he took over as Seattle’s top tackler.

“Obviously, Bobby on top though.”

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Seattle Seahawks defensive player of the game: CB Tre Flowers

Flowers led the team with three passes defended while also racking up seven combined tackles, third on the team behind Kendricks and K.J. Wright.

The Seattle Seahawks defense was excellent on Sunday morning against the Philadelphia Eagles, forcing Carson Wentz into multiple mistakes and making up for an ugly game from the Seattle offense, ultimately leading to the team’s 17-9 victory.

While there were multiple players who could have been named defensive player of the game, including Ziggy Ansah, Shaquem Griffin, Mychal Kendricks, and Bradley McDougald, the award goes to cornerback Tre Flowers.

Flowers led the team with three passes defended while also racking up seven combined tackles, third on the team behind Kendricks and K.J. Wright.

Most importantly, he had a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter, which ended up icing the game.

Flowers has had his ups and downs this season, his second as a starter after getting drafted out of Oklahoma State – where he exclusively played safety.

He fits the bill as a lengthy, physical outside cornerback in Pete Carroll’s system, and his performance on Sunday proved he is coming into his own.

While it hasn’t always been pretty, Flowers may be taking the route of other late-round cornerbacks turned stars in Seattle, a staple of the Carroll/John Schneider/Legion of Boom era in the Emerald City.

The Seahawks are now 9-2 on the season, although the rest of their schedule will require a lot of work if they want to be more than a wild card team in the crowded NFC.

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Seahawks LB Mychal Kendricks’ sentencing hearing postponed again

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks’ sentencing hearing was delayed again in his insider trading case.

For the fifth time, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks’ sentencing date was postponed in his insider trading case, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Kendricks was scheduled to have his sentencing hearing on Thursday in Philadelphia, just three days before the Seahawks play there against the Eagles.

According to Henderson, the case is now on the docket for February. Kendricks is facing potential prison time for insider trading, which he pleaded guilty to back in the fall of 2018. Kendricks will be a free agent at the end of the year.

The date was originally set for Jan. 23, then Jan. 25, April 14, Sept. 25 and most recently Nov. 21.

Sentencing dates get postponed for a lot of reasons, and it is not uncommon for them to be changed at the request of the defense or the U.S. attorney.

Kendricks has been Seattle’s starting Sam linebacker this season, and although he has struggled in his second year with the team he still creates a formidable trio of linebackers alongside veterans K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner.

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K.J. Wright nominated for 2019 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright has been nominated by his teammates for the 2019 annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright has been nominated for the annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, the league announced Thursday morning.

“The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition,” states the press release.

The field of 32 nominees – one player from each team around the league – will be reduced to eight finalists, who will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category.

On Dec. 13, each team will then submit a consensus vote for one player, who cannot be the nominee from that club.

The winner of the 2019 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award will be revealed during the NFL Honors Show on FOX, scheduled to air Feb. 1, the night before the Super Bowl.

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett and defensive end Cliff Avril were the Seahawks’ nominees in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

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