Pete Carroll expects Seahawks Jarran Reed and Duane Brown to play Sunday

Sunday the Seattle Seahawks take on the Dallas Cowboys in a game that could have a significant impact on early jockeying for playoff positioning and seeding once the postseason arrives in January. The Cowboys come into the game with a secondary that has been beset by injuries, while for the Seahawks the issues have come in the trenches, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

However, on Friday Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll shared on KIRO Radio that left tackle Duane Brown may have been resting this week for reasons beyond just veteran rest.

It’s not a resounding vote of confidence for Duane Brown given that Carroll states only that he “should be okay”. For the veteran left tackle who is the foundation of the offensive line it could be a challenge if he is unable to play. Brown is a warrior who played through a high ankle sprain after being acquired in trade from the Houston Texans in 2017, played through a painful biceps injury for much of the 2019 regular season and also played in the divisional round of the playoffs just a couple weeks after knee surgery in 2019. In short, if he can’t go, whatever is bothering him is significant and it bears watching going forward.

If Brown is unable to play, who takes his spot would depend on the status of Cedric Ogbuehi. Ogbuehi has yet to be active this year after suffering a pec injury during training camp, and as the primary backup would be the first option to step in for Brown. However, if Ogbuehi isn’t cleared for the Dallas game, Jamarco Jones could potentially get his second start at left tackle. The first start of Jones’ career came in Week 16 of 2019 when he faced off against Chandler Jones of the Arizona Cardinals, and with the Cowboys sporting both DeMarcus Lawrence and Everson Griffen, it could be another challenging day for Jones if he gets the call.

In addition, the numerous questions as tackle could potentially mean the second gameday elevation from the practice squad for Chad Wheeler, who was moved to the active roster for the Week 1 opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

On the defensive side of the ball, missing Reed could be impactful against a Cowboys team that could look to feed Ezekiel Elliott against an interior defensive line that would be comprised of three undrafted free agents if Reed can’t go. Without Reed the defensive tackles on the roster would be Poona Ford, Bryan Mone and the recently promoted from the practice squad Anthony Rush. In short, what was already expected to be a challenging matchup in the trenches for the Hawks would be made even more difficult without Reed’s presence on the interior.

What it all means is that the Friday injury report will be very interesting to see, and the inactives list will be very closely watched by fans on Sunday in order to learn the status of both Brown and Reed.