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Seattle Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung tore a ligament in his toe at the end of the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. That injury could prove to be costly as the Seahawks were forced to place him on injured reserve. What does the injury to a top offensive lineman mean for Seattle?
The reason fans should not get worked up about Okung getting put on injured reserve is because the team believes he will be able to return to the starting lineup in approximately eight weeks.
“It gives him a chance to come back,” head coach Pete Carroll said, according to the Washington Post. “It’s a six- to eight-week injury and we’ll hope that that will all work out right for us. He’s determined, he’s kind of excited about the fact that he has a chance to get back this season as well. So we will just ride it out, see what happens, and take good care of him and hopefully we’ll be able to make it.”
If Okung is healthy enough to return to the starting left tackle position, it will not be until Week 11 at the very earliest. That means the Seahawks will have to weather the storm against solid defensive teams such as the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. Three of these four teams have already proven to be more than capable of getting after a quarterback this season. Meanwhile, the Falcons are always a team to watch out for when it comes to a decent pass rush.
The Seahawks will move left guard Paul McQuistan over to left tackle. Meanwhile, James Carpenter will handle left guard duties. The good news is both of these players will be able to handle their positions, which means Seattle should not see too much of a drop in offensive production.
