How Much Will Loss of Rayshawn Jenkins Hurt Seahawks' Defense?

Sidelined for at least four games, the Seahawks may have to rely on a by-committee approach to replace Rayshawn Jenkins alongside Julian Love.

Sep 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins (2) celebrates during the second quarter against Miami Dolphins at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images / Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

While their defensive line finally has started to get healthier with rookie Byron Murphy II being the latest to return to practice on Wednesday, the Seattle Seahawks suddenly have significant injury concerns to deal with in the secondary as they gear up for a road contest against the Atlanta Falcons.

One day after placing veteran cornerback Artie Burns on injured reserve with a toe issue, starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins joined him prior to the start of Wednesday's practice due to a broken hand. The veteran defender played throughout last Thursday's loss to the 49ers with a cast over his hand and the injury appeared to have a significant impact on his performance, as he only recorded two tackles in the defeat while logging 65 snaps.

Despite his struggles against San Francisco, however, Jenkins has largely been a bright spot for Seattle's overhauled defense playing for coach Mike Macdonald while seeing action both as a free and strong safety. Signed in March after being released by Jacksonville in a cost-cutting move, he has tallied 38 tackles through the first six games and also returned a fumble for a team-record 102 yard touchdown return in a loss to the New York Giants in Week 5.

Without Jenkins, the Seahawks will have to turn to either K'Von Wallace or Coby Bryant as his replacement in the starting lineup. It's even possible Macdonald could platoon those two players in a similar fashion to how he rotated Tyrice Knight and Drake Thomas into the lineup at weakside linebacker when Jerome Baker missed time earlier this season.

In addition, Seattle also signed safety Ty Okada off of the practice squad as extra insurance and second-year defender Jerrick Reed II returned to practice from the PUP list this week as a potential option to plug into action down the road, though Macdonald insinuated he might not be ready to activate yet for this weekend.

"I'm impressed with J-Reed and he had a great practice on Monday," Macdonald said. "Guy's ready to go. He's right in the thick of it. We'll see if and when we want to bring him up and have him ready for games, but he's doing a great job."

How much will Jenkins' absence be felt by Seattle's defense? And what will Macdonald ultimately do to replace him and weather the storm without the seasoned veteran?

On a new Locked On Seahawks, hosts Corbin Smith and Rob Rang discuss Jenkins' injury and how Seattle will try to manage without him for a month along with other injuries on defense and dish out their six key matchups to watch as the Seahawks hit the road to face the Falcons in Week 7, including a trio of offensive weapons for Macdonald to try to scheme to slow down.

Listen to the latest Locked On Seahawks in entirety here or subscribe for free to the podcast platform of your choice here.

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