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Injury
Jadarian Price Is Out Sunday, and the Backfield Goes Back to Wilson and Holani
Jadarian Price won’t play Sunday against the Chargers. Mike Macdonald said Friday that the rookie aggravated the chest/shoulder injury in Wednesday’s practice, the same one he picked up in the Week 2 win at Arizona. He didn’t practice Thursday or Friday.
That leaves Emanuel Wilson and George Holani, and if you’ve watched this month that won’t surprise you. Holani is coming off a career-high five catches for 48 yards at Washington, and he’s ready to go despite a rib issue. Wilson had 14 yards on nine carries in that game. Velus Jones Jr. is the practice-squad option if Seattle elevates him. It’s not the backfield anybody drew up in April. It’s the one that’s healthy, and I’ll take healthy.
Macdonald made a point of protecting the kid: “By no means is this JD’s fault. It’s just what happens in football,” he said, per the News Tribune. Fair enough. Price has 119 yards on 28 carries, two lost fumbles and now a chest that won’t cooperate. Some rookie years start on a red carpet. His started on the trainer’s table.
119
Jadarian Price’s rushing yards this season, on 28 carries, with no touchdowns.
Then Macdonald gave the Charbonnet update. “Zach looks fantastic,” he said, but he wouldn’t commit to Week 5: “For me to make any declaration is unfair to Zach.” I read that as please don’t start printing the 49ers depth chart yet. I’m printing it anyway.
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Analysis
Three Summer Hype Names Have Gone Quiet, and Two of Them Can Blame JSN
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Shaheed and Arroyo share a problem, and it wears No. 11. With Smith-Njigba playing like this, there isn’t much left over for anyone else. Arroyo is splitting snaps too: Eric Saubert has 45 to his 44, and Brady Russell, technically a fullback, has lined up in a receiving spot on 32 of his 60 snaps. Shaheed is also on his third offensive coordinator since the start of 2024. That would make anyone drop a ball or two.
Fowler doesn’t have a JSN excuse. Seattle is mostly using a three-man edge rotation and bringing Fowler in now and then. Paying a veteran rusher to specialize in third-and-long is fine. I’d still like to see him on first down sometime before Halloween.
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AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
Ty Okada practiced in full Friday for the first time this fall and is questionable. Julian Love has no designation and will play. Both starting safeties could be on the field at once. I’m not saying that out loud. Seahawks.com
Chazz Surratt showed up on Friday’s report with a calf injury and is questionable. One of your best special-teamers is banged up the week after the coach called the special teams not good enough. Perfect timing. Seattle Sports
A hundred receiving yards Sunday would tie JSN’s own franchise record of four straight 100-yard games. The only Seahawk left for him to chase is himself. Lonely, but very lucrative. SI
On the other sideline, Derwin James (hamstring) and Ladd McConkey (foot) are questionable for the Chargers. Four more are out, including left guard Kayode Awosika. We’re not the only ones with a long injury list. Nice to have company. Chargers.com
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
Aaron Donald is ruled out of Sunday’s game in Philadelphia with a back problem that flared up after the Denver loss. Myles Garrett is on injured reserve after knee surgery. So the dream line Los Angeles spent all summer building plays the Eagles with neither of its headliners. Sean McVay said part of his job is “to protect these tough dudes like him from themselves.” Very thoughtful. Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske get the interior. Next time they could try protecting the guys from the offseason hype instead.
NINERS
Mike Evans hurt his ribs and isn’t sure exactly when it happened, so the plan is to play Denver in a compression shirt with padding built into it. Kyle Shanahan calls him a game-time decision. Evans described the pain in words we can’t print here, but the short version is that it hurt bad. San Francisco’s answer to a rib injury is basically bubble wrap. Lumen will be happy to test it on Oct. 11.
CARDINALS
Three weeks in, Arizona is dead last in the league in explosive play rate at 3.1%, and just 1.7% through the air. It’s also second in penalty yards with 245, which wasn’t the plan when Mike LaFleur promised one of the league’s cleanest operations. So the offense is slow and it’s expensive. We held them to 151 total yards in Week 2, and it turns out that wasn’t all our defense.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Seattle drafted this Texas safety 14th overall in 2010, and he was a first-team All-Pro three seasons in a row, 2012 through 2014. Who is he?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Earl Thomas. He finished with 30 career interceptions and seven Pro Bowls, and the last of those came in a Ravens uniform in 2019.
THIS DAY IN SEAHAWKS HISTORY
2019
October 3, 2019
Paul Allen Enters the Ring of Honor
A year after he died from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Paul G. Allen became the 12th member of the Seahawks Ring of Honor. It’s the first season of the Khosla era, so this is a good day to remember the owner who came before.
Got a Question That’s Keeping You Up at Night?
Running back depth, a pass rusher who only plays on third down, whether Charbonnet’s knee is ready for the 49ers. Send it in. The Rooster answers the best ones, and might get a little too honest doing it.
Two backs, one job. Go get it. — The Rooster