After exiting Monday's 13-10 loss to the Saints with an apparent knee injury, the Seahawks are fearing for the worst in regard to defensive back Marquise Blair.
Speaking with reporters following the game, while he didn't offer many details, coach Pete Carroll indicated Blair suffered a "significant" patellar tendon injury, putting his status for the foreseeable future in limbo.
"He got hurt. Marquise got hurt," Carroll said. "He hurt his patellar tendon. I'm not going to specific about it. But that's - check that. He hurt his patellar. And the patellar got - there's something we got to do there. And I'm not sure exactly what it is. But it's a significant injury."
Though Carroll didn't use the dreaded "legit" label to describe Blair's injury, it sounds like the former Utah standout will miss extensive time. It would be a huge blow for the former second-round pick out of Utah, as he underwent surgery for a torn ACL and missed all but two games during the 2020 season.
Blair was injured late in the fourth quarter while in coverage against Saints receiver Tre'Quan Smith, who was flagged for offensive pass interference on the play. After being shoved, the defender's right leg buckled and he remained on the ground for a few moments before eventually limping gingerly back to the locker room with trainers.
In a worst case scenario, if Blair suffered a ruptured patellar tendon, his season would come to a crashing end for the second straight year and he would be facing yet another challenging rehab from a difficult injury going into the final year of his rookie contract.
In addition to Blair, Carroll confirmed right tackle Brandon Shell re-aggravated an ankle sprain that cost him two games earlier this season on the final drive of the game. The severity of his injury remains unknown.
Per Carroll, the Seahawks didn't have any other notable injuries crop up during the game, but he did provide insight on why linebacker Darrell Taylor and guard Damien Lewis were held out against the Saints.
Taylor, who exited last Sunday's loss to the Steelers on a stretcher with a scary neck injury, was limited in practice this week and listed as questionable to play on Monday night. While he didn't suffer a setback, Carroll said he didn't "turn the corner" enough for the Seahawks to be comfortable playing him.
"It was such a positive kind of return with all the good news that he wasn't hurt seriously. But his neck still was sore," Carroll remarked. "And it just didn't - it didn't go away. So he had a real stiff neck that he couldn't shake yet. He's really frustrated by it. Because he feels pretty darn good, but he just didn't have his mobility and he couldn't play."
As for Lewis, Carroll told reporters that the second-year lineman wasn't able to participate in anything during pre-game, which made it an easy decision to de-activate him. Jamarco Jones replaced him in the starting lineup and played the entirety of the game.
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