The Seahawks will be without Tre Flowers for at least three games, starting with Sunday's game against the Giants. Flowers, Seattle's starting right cornerback, was placed on injured reserve Saturday due to a hamstring injury sustained in Monday's win at Philadelphia.
Flowers, who had initially been listed as doubtful on Friday's injury report, will be eligible to return as soon as Seattle's Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Additionally, the Seahawks elevated tackle Chad Wheeler off of the practice squad, and placed defensive tackle Bryan Mone on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Mone, who has been on injured reserve since early last month, is the first player the Seahawks have placed on the COVID-19 list this season.
"He came out of the game with his hamstring tight, did the MRI and he's got something that we have to deal with," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of Flowers Friday. "It's not a serious hamstring injury, but it's enough to really bother him this week, and to expect for him to turn around and bounce back around this week is a lot to expect."
With Flowers now out, D.J. Reed is expected to start in his place. Reed, who was claimed off waivers from San Francisco this summer, has already started at left corner and nickel corner, as well as handling kick return and punt return duties.
The addition of Wheeler gives the Seahawks extra depth at tackle with starting right tackle Brandon Shell listed as doubtful due to an ankle injury, and with Cedric Ogbuehi, who started for Shell last week, being limited in practice Friday due to a calf injury. Ogbuehi was added to the injury report Saturday as questionable.
Wheeler, who went undrafted out of USC in 2017, spent his first two seasons with the Giants, appearing in 27 games and starting 19, including 14 starts at right tackle in 2018. He signed to Seattle's practice squad last season, and while he did not appear in a game, he was added to the 53-man roster during the playoffs. As a practice squad elevation, Wheeler will revert to the practice squad on Monday. This is Wheeler's second elevation this season—he was also brought up for the season opener in Atlanta—so for him to play in a game after this weekend, he would have to be added to the 53-man roster.
