Dee Eskridge, Rashaad Penny limited as Seahawks release first injury report of 2021

The countdown to the start of the 2021 NFL regular season has basically reached zero, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys getting the season started on Thursday. That means the Week 1 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts is just days away, and since it’s Wednesday the Hawks have released their first injury report of the season.

Obviously not great to see all three of Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and Alex Collins on the injury report, but given that Carson and Collins were both full participants it’s not all that concerning. As for Duane Brown and Gabe Jackson, the two starting offensive linemen who happen to be in their thirties, their “Load Management” designation is something fans should likely get used to. These two are, without question, the top linemen on the roster for the Hawks, and they have shown enough during their careers for the coaching staff to know that the best thing for their performance on Sunday is not more reps, but rather more rest.

In any case, it wouldn’t be a Seahawks injury report without the team’s top draft pick on it, but Dee Eskridge has been battling his toe injury since June. At this point, the bigger surprise may be if he recovers sufficiently during the season to be removed from the injury report. He had six weeks of rest between offseason activities and the start of training camp and that wasn’t sufficient for the toe injury to heal fully, so at this point it appears as though it will be more about managing the injury than waiting for it to fully recover during the season.

Now it’s just a matter of keeping these guys healthy and seeing how things play out over the next two days before the Hawks head east later this week.