The Seattle Seahawks, like every other team in the NFL, have to deal with the injury bug at some point.
The Seahawks were fortunate enough to get relatively healthy during the playoffs, with the exception of a player or two. The Athletic insider Michael-Shawn Dugar dove into how lucky the Seahawks truly were when it came to injuries.
"Darnold, Smith-Njigba, running back Ken Walker III, tight end AJ Barner, left guard Grey Zabel, right guard Anthony Bradford and Lucas all started every game. Receiver Cooper Kupp missed one game, and as soon as rookie wideout Tory Horton went down for the season, receiver Rashid Shaheed arrived and played in every game," Dugar wrote.
"Left tackle Charles Cross missed only three games, and center Jalen Sundell missed four. The most notable contributor who missed time in the playoffs was running back Zach Charbonnet, who tore his ACL in the divisional round. That level of continuity on offense is rare, especially up front."
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Seahawks Got Healthy at Right Time
The Seahawks defense struggled to get healthy all season long, but they finally were able to get back on the field at the right time when they needed it most. The Seahawks got hot in the final few weeks of the season large in part due to the defense's health.
"Seattle didn’t have its starting defense fully healthy and available until Week 14, when defensive tackle Jarran Reed (hand) and safety Julian Love (hamstring) returned from injured reserve. But the fact that it was ever fully healthy is a case of good fortune. The defense was healthy for the entire playoffs, too. In theory, Seattle could have the same luck next season, but that’s unlikely considering the nature of the sport," Dugar wrote.
The Seahawks defense will lose some of its depth this offseason in free agency, so that could affect the health of the unit. The team will have to take care of its bodies throughout the offseason and into the first half of the regular season so it can be good and ready to go for the stretch run.
It will be hard for the Seahawks to stay as healthy as they were, but if they can, it makes them a very dangerous Super Bowl threat again.
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