The Seattle Seahawks will be without starting left tackle Charles Cross in their ‘Thursday Night Football’ game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Unfortunately, for Seattle, that may not be the only game Cross will miss.
Cross suffered a hamstring injury on Jason Myers’ final made field goal in the Seahawks 18-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15.
His status was uncertain until Seattle released its final injury report on Wednesday. That injury report showed that Cross was out for the game.
This could be a crucial loss for the Seahawks. No team ever wants to lose its left tackle late in the season, and the fact that Seattle is chasing the No. 1 seed in the NFC just makes matters worse.
No Timeframe for Charles Cross’ Return
One missed game, even against a great opponent like the Rams, is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
A good starting left tackle missing the rest of the season? That could be devasting for a Seahawks team that has high aspirations.
As of now, it seems like a long-term injury for Cross is on the table.
Mike Macdonald is not just going to come out and say, “Yeah Cross is out for the year and we’re screwed.” No NFL coach would ever say anything like that.
But if you are a Seattle fan, you probably want to hear something more encouraging about his future status.
Cross, 25, was a first-round pick out of Mississippi State by the Seahawks in 2022, a pick that Seattle got as part of the Russell Wilson trade to the Denver Broncos.
And while Cross has yet to make an All-Pro or Pro Bowl team, he has established himself as an above-average NFL left tackle. Those are hard to find.
So now the Seahawks will have to take on the red-hot Rams with Cross sidelined.
Josh Jones Steps in as Backup Left Tackle
With Cross out, the next man up is Josh Jones.
At 6-foot-7, 339 pounds, Jones has mostly been a backup tackle in the NFL. He last started a game in 2023 with the Houston Texans.
Prior to that, he saw significant starting action with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 and 2021. Jones was drafted by the Cardinals out of the University of Houston in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Despite Jones’ limited action, Macdonald seemed confident in Jones’ ability to step in and play well.
“He’s gotten most of those opportunities in preseason and he did a great job filling it for Charles when he was going through his training camp stuff,” Macdonald said to the Seattle Times. “So just like everything else, we’ve had guys that have had opportunities throughout the season, and this is no different. He’s got a great opportunity. He’s prepared. Go out there and play your tail off.”
It will be interesting to see how Jones performs against a ferocious Rams front.
Aside from Cross being out, the rest of the Seahawks starters will be good to go for this game on Thursday.
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