Key starter Abe Lucas ill but playing for Seahawks vs Raiders. Laquon Treadwell to debut
Even sickness can’t sideline Abe Lucas.
The Seahawks’ most constant and effective rookie became iffy to play on the eve of Seattle’s game Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lumen Field. The Seahawks added their starting right tackle to the injury report Saturday as officially questionable with a new illness. Such a late add often indicates a strong likelihood a guy doesn’t play.
But Lucas was active for Sunday’s game. He started for the 11th consecutive time to begin his career.
Lucas was Seattle’s third-round draft choice this spring from Washington State and Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett. He and rookie first-round pick Charles Cross have been perhaps the most valuable players on the Seahawks’ offense. They have transformed the line with quick, athletic pass blocking and drive run blocking on the edges.
Lucas entered Sunday having played every one of the team’s 588 snaps on offense through 10 games. Quarterback Geno Smith was the only other Seahawk to have done that.
Rookie Abe Lucas had been questionable to play because of an illness this weekend. But he’s full go in pregame warmups, 72, readying to start again at right tackle for the Seahawks vs Raiders.
He’s been gigantic for Seattle’s offense @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/z78uO7bItF— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) November 27, 2022
Jake Curhan had been readying to play for Lucas Sunday. The tasks at right tackle included repelling Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas’ best defensive player this season with his nine sacks.
Curhan made his first five NFL starts last season as an undrafted rookie from California. He played 24 snaps at right guard last month when Gabe Jackson and Phil Haynes got hurt there in the Seahawks’ win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
But when Lucas was active, Curhan was a healthy scratch, inactive.
Lucas practiced fully all week before he got sick by Saturday.
He was asked Wednesday how he feels physically 13 games into his first NFL season. It’s as many as Lucas played in any college season at WSU.
“I just try to take care of myself as much as possible. Certainly, everybody is going to be in a little bit of pain. You’re never going to be 100%,” he said. “But I feel pretty good. If you think about it, with the three preseason and the 10 games that we have played, my college season would have been over two weeks ago.
“We have seven more (games). I can handle that.”
Dee Eskridge out again
Dee Eskridge won’t be playing in the last seven games. He may not be playing again this season.
Seattle put its often-injured wide receiver and top draft choice in 2021 on injured reserve. That means he must miss a minimum of four weeks.
Coach Pete Carroll said this weekend Eskridge broke his hand coming out of the team’s bye week following its loss to Tampa Bay in Germany Nov. 13.
The Seahawks promoted recently signed veteran wide receiver Laquon Treadwell from the practice squad to the game roster to play Sunday. He was poised to be the fourth wide receiver behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Marquise Goodwin.
Carroll is seeing if Treadwell can become the Seahawks’ latest reclamation project among previous former first-round picks signed from elsewhere to short-term, no-risk deals.
Treadwell was the 23rd-overall choice in the 2016 draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He signed with Seattle’s practice squad this month. He entered Sunday with 104 catches with five touchdowns in his five NFL seasons.
He caught a career-high 33 passes for 434 yards last season for Jacksonville.
“I’m anxious to see what Treadwell does when he gets a chance,” Carroll said Friday. “He hasn’t had a shot to do much, but we’ll see how he fits in…
“He seems to be very well-equipped. He seems like a pro. He runs his routes really crisply. He’s really attentive about doing a number of things. He can play different positions for us. He’s big catching the football.
“He looks like one of our guys, and he fits in very well.”
Treadwell has 104 career catches for 1,184 yards and five touchdowns, including a career-best 33 catches for 434 yards last year with Jacksonville.
Eskridge missed most of last season with a serious concussion he got running a fly sweep in his first pro game in September 2021 at Indianapolis. He was hurt for much of the Seahawks’ offseason workouts and preseason practices. He didn’t practice at all this past week.
Vi Jones at linebacker again
The Seahawks also elevated linebacker Vi Jones from the practice squad for the second consecutive game.
The undrafted rookie out of North Carolina State made his NFL debut playing 10 snaps against the Buccaneers in Munich Nov. 13.
