Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: Jordyn Brooks - Rapid Comeback On Tap?

Though he's less than eight months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL, the Seattle Seahawks remain optimistic about Jordyn Brooks' chances to be ready for Week 1 to continue racking up tackles in bunches in the middle of their defense.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jul 20, 2023 4:46 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason activities in the rearview mirror, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC later this month, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Jordyn Brooks, Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6-0,240 pounds

2022 Stats: 161 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack

When the Seahawks opted to select Brooks with the 27th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the selection was met with a generally negative perception from experts and fans alike. After all, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright remained on the roster, leaving plenty of other more notable holes to fill on the roster. But the former Texas Tech standout silenced critics early, finding his way into the starting lineup early in the season and forcing Wright to slide to SAM linebacker, finishing with 57 tackles and two pass breakups as a rookie.

Since then, all Brooks has done for Seattle is rack up tackles in bunches. With Wright not being re-signed, he thrived as a full-time starter for the first time, breaking Wagner's franchise record with 184 combined tackles and adding 10 tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He was on a similar pace last season stepping into Wagner's stead wearing the green dot as on-field play caller, only to suffer a torn ACL in a Week 17 win over the New York Jets, ending his year with 161 total tackles. Undergoing surgery soon after, the team declined his fifth-year option and his status for the start of the 2023 season remains uncertain.

Best-Case Scenario: Activated from the PUP list early in training camp, Brooks makes a remarkable recovery from knee surgery to start alongside Wagner in Week 1 and restores his value heading towards free agency, leading the Seahawks with 167 tackles while registering his first career interception and a pair of sacks to help the team recapture the NFC West crown.

Worst-Case Scenario: Though Brooks remains ahead of schedule, Seattle cautiously eases him back into action with Devin Bush seeing snaps next to Wagner in a rotation early in the year and once the fourth-year veteran returns to the starting lineup, it takes several games for him to recover to pre-injury form as he finishes the season with 88 tackles and five tackles for loss.

What to Expect in 2023: Throughout the offseason, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has provided optimistic reports on Brooks' recovery and recent videos posted on his Instagram account suggest he is indeed well ahead of schedule to get back on the field. But with camp quickly approaching, the team will likely err on the side of caution with him early to make sure he's right and it would be a surprise if he isn't placed on the PUP list out of the gate to buy him time to finish his recovery.

Without definitively knowing how long Brooks will remain sidelined and when he will be cleared to play again, Seattle proactively brought Wagner back and brought in Bush as a free agent insurance policy. This affords the franchise flexibility, as they won't have to rush him back into the lineup and will be able to ensure he's fully recovered before activating. As long as he doesn't encounter any setbacks, signs point to him being on the field again sooner rather than later and even with Bush in the mix, he should vault right back into the lineup when healthy and his presence will be critical to the team improving upon its dreadful 30th-ranked run defense from a year ago. If all goes well, a big day day from the Seahawks or someone else awaits.

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