The Seattle Seahawks completely revamped their linebacker position this offseason, but we won’t be seeing one of the new additions any time soon.
At Thursday’s OTAs, head coach Mike Macdonald revealed that former Miami Dolphins starter Jerome Baker not only remains out, but we may not see him until training camp. Mandatory minicamp is in mid-June, so he’ll be well behind on the offseason program.
From Seahawks.com:
On Baker, who had wrist surgery in January, Macdonald said, “He’s working through some things right now. We probably won’t see him until training camp. He’s going to be fine, but right now we won’t see him out in OTAs”
In addition to the wrist, Macdonald said Baker has “lower body stuff he’s working through.”
Asked if he was concerned about Baker not being able to take part in offseason workouts, Macdonald added, “I wouldn’t call it a concern, but any time someone isn’t getting all the reps, you’ve got to figure out different ways to get them the reps, so it’s mental stuff, it’s walkthroughs, we’re trying to be creative in the building to make sure he gets all the things he needs to see. He’ll be up to speed, he’ll be ready to roll.”
Baker missed five of Miami’s final six games (playoffs included) due to injury. He missed four games with a knee injury, returned for the regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills, only to hurt his wrist and undergo season-ending surgery. When the Dolphins released him, it was with a failed physical designation.
With Tyrel Dodson limited at OTAs, that means fourth-round rookie Tyrice Knight, Patrick O’Connell, and Jon Rhattigan have seen their roles increase.
Again, the hope is that Baker is available by training camp. It’s just not the type of news you want to read when the Seahawks’ inside linebacker position is not particularly deep.
