Injuries, COVID Leave Seahawks' Receiving Corps Short-Handed Heading Into Must-Win Rematch vs. Rams

While there's a chance Lockett may still be able to play on Sunday, Russell Wilson faces the prospect of throwing passes to several practice squad players in a Week 15 matchup that could be majorly compromised by injuries and COVID outbreaks.

As the Seahawks wrap up preparations for their critical Week 15 rematch against the Rams, Russell Wilson may need to put name strips on his receiver's helmets to know who he's throwing to on game day at SoFi Stadium.

Prior to Thursday's practice, Seattle placed star receiver Tyler Lockett on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Even with newly-implemented protocols in place immediately to accelerate the process for vaccinated players returning to play sooner, with less than 48 hours until kickoff, time is working against him.

Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Lockett isn't the only ailing receiver whose status remains up in the air. During Thursday's practice, DK Metcalf, Freddie Swain, and Dee Eskridge were nowhere to be found and the team's latest injury report revealed all three did not participate due to injuries.

Metcalf has battled a lingering foot injury throughout the course of the season and Seattle has given him at least one practice off per week. Now, he's apparently got a new back injury and the team looks to be content with simply getting him healthy enough to play on game day at this point. Eskridge has a new foot injury after playing in Sunday's win against the Texans, while Swain has an ankle injury as well as a personal reasons designation.

Aside from Penny Hart, who has seven catches this season and primarily plays special teams, Wilson was left throwing to practice squad wideouts Cody Thompson, Aaron Fuller, Cade Johnson, and recently-signed Matt Cole. Those four players have logged a combined three offensive snaps in regular season games, with Thompson playing those snaps earlier this year.

Although it's too early to know which players will be available and Friday's practice report will be far more revealing, it's not out of the realm of possibility the Seahawks could be without two or more of their top receivers heading into the biggest game of the season to date. That's... not good to say the least.

How will this impact Sunday's game? It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a die-hard football fan to understand how much losing Lockett and/or Metcalf would hinder the Seahawks' passing game, even if the Rams don't have shutdown cornerback Jalen Ramsey or elite pass rusher Von Miller available either due to healthy and safety protocols. Eskridge or Swain being out would only further magnify the issue and make life tougher on Wilson.

With slowing down future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald in mind, running the football effectively was already imperative to Seattle's chances of winning this weekend. Now, even if Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas, and Travis Homer aren't having much success, coordinator Shane Waldron may have to keep running the ball out of necessity to protect his quarterback minus a plethora of playmakers on the outside.

When the Seahawks do pass, Wilson will likely have to lean much more heavily than usual on his tight ends and running backs. Not having Metcalf, Lockett, or Eskridge available would take away his greatest strength by neutralizing his ability to throw the deep ball, though a quick strike passing game ironically could be the key to preventing Donald from racking up a billion sacks against a suspect line.

Of course, it's certainly possible Metcalf, Swain, and Eskridge all practice on Friday, positioning themselves to play this weekend. Metcalf has proven on numerous occasions this year he doesn't need much practice time to play on game day, as he hasn't missed a start despite being banged up. Swain's personal matter may be the driving factor behind his absence the past two days and Eskridge may just be getting some additional rest to ensure he's ready to go.

But the reality is that the Seahawks, like the other 31 NFL teams right now, have another major problem to contend with as COVID-19 infiltrates locker rooms and wreaks havoc with rosters. Since Monday, more than 100 players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list league-wide, including the Rams having a whopping 25 players currently deactivated.

Based on the outbreaks taking place on other teams, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if more players wind up being deactivated from Seattle's 53-man roster before Sunday. After Lockett tested positive, other receivers could have the virus too, further depleting an already thin group.

With both teams dealing with their own pandemic-related issues and chances for more infections to crop up in coming days, the next 48 hours will be critical for the Seahawks and Rams figuring out who will and won't be available to play. Whether fair or not, no factor may have a greater bearing on who wins this weekend.