'Tremendous' Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas to See Big Workload vs. Panthers?

Seattle Seahawks running back DeeJay Dallas is a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers ... but if his recent efforts to overcome injury are any indication, he could be in line to not only play, but make a significant impact.

The Seattle Seahawks have battled injury woes at the running back position throughout the season, but DeeJay Dallas isn't going to let that slow him down.

A former seventh-round draft pick who's carved out a consistent role on special teams, Dallas' journey is marked by toughness - and his play style only further supports that.

Perhaps nothing illustrates who Dallas is or what he's about more than his showing in Seattle's 27-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams last week, battling through an ankle sprain to record a season-high 10 carries for 37 yards as star running back Ken Walker departed with an ankle injury of his own.

Dallas' injury has knocked him out of practice in the lead up to Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, making him a firm game time decision.

But even with the injury trouble Dallas is battling through, if there's one thing he's proven during his three-year career, it's that he's more than capable of playing through the pain.

“DeeJay was one of multiple guys that I felt like did such a tremendous job at playing through a little bit of pain, playing through the bumps and bruises that happen at this time of year," offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. "It’s the toughness that he displays day in and day out."

The win in Los Angeles was Dallas' largest snap share to date, seeing action on nearly half of Seattle's offensive plays. But, like his status entering the Carolina game, it was never that simple, as he left before having to return later - and delivered.

"It’s not a surprise when guys are saying, ‘Okay, we don’t know if we are going to have him back or not,'" Waldron said. "The time came when we needed him to go back in and he didn’t flinch. He went back into the game and provided a great spark for us throughout the course of that game to finish it.”

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll added that he was "really praising" Dallas for his toughness to finish off the game, something that may be needed once more Sunday, especially if Walker can't play.

But lost in Dallas' individual performance is that his fight is merely a microcosm of the identity Seattle has built not only inside of its running back room but across entire team.

“DeeJay, obviously, had the injury, but he was still out there battling," quarterback Geno Smith said. "One thing about those guys is they don’t make excuses. No one on this teams makes excuses. That’s one of our rules. We all fight together for one another. That was an example of that when Ken went down early, DeeJay stepped up."

The Seahawks might need Dallas to step up once more Sunday, and while his status remains in doubt, the past tells a clear story: don't bet against him.

Seattle and Carolina are set to kick off at 1:25 p.m. at Lumen Field.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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