Seattle Seahawks: Malik McDowell injury both scary and detrimental
Seattle Seahawks rookie defensive tackle Malik McDowell reportedly suffered injuries in an ATV accident that could cost him the 2017 NFL season.
The Seattle Seahawks made a bold move to trade out of the first round in the 2017 NFL Draft. In doing so, however, they ended up hitting on a great value pick at No. 35 overall. At that position, they were able to nab Michigan State defensive tackle Malik McDowell.
In terms of physical tools and talent, McDowell was easily a first-round caliber prospect. However, there were concerns about his work ethic, motor and his ability to be a good teammate. Thus, he fell to the second round. At the same time, however, he couldn’t have found himself coming into a better position given those concerns. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks have long been known for helping maximize the talents of players with concerns similar to those surrounding the former Spartan.
Unfortunately and scarily, seeing what McDowell can do in 2017 may be in question. On Sunday, the team released a statement saying that the rookie was involved in a “vehicular accident” earlier in the offseason and did not report to training camp due to injuries suffered. What’s more, NFL Network’s James Palmer reported that Carroll was uncertain whether or not McDowell would miss the entire season:
rookie Malik McDowell involved in vehicular accident. Carroll said "we'll see" when asked if he could miss the year pic.twitter.com/5YvIQiSRi8
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 30, 2017
Along with Palmer, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo followed that statement with a report that McDowell was involved in an ATV accident. As a result, the Michigan State product suffered a concussion and facial injuries:
Seahawks DL Malik McDowell was injured in an ATV accident, suffered a concussion and facial injuries, sources tell me and @JamesPalmerTV.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 30, 2017
Given the lack of overall information, the first concern is that McDowell is okay. When talking about head and facial injuries, it’s always exceedingly harrowing in terms of what could be wrong. What’s more, ATV accidents are notoriously dangerous and can result in quite serious long-term injuries.
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Beyond just that, however, there is more reason for concern in terms of the Seahawks on the field in 2017. In the estimation of most, McDowell was in line to start on the interior of the Seattle front-fourt as a rookie.
Jarran Reed and Ahtyba Rubin started at defensive tackle last year. Despite the quality of the Seahawks defense overall, that interior duo struggled mightily. According to Pro Football Focus Edge, they graded out as only the 81st and 90th ranked players at the position last season. Whether taking over for Reed or Rubin, McDowell figured to be much more effective even as a rookie.
Obviously McDowell missing the entire season would mean that’s not going to happen. However, even missing just training camp would throw a monkey wrench into such plans. Should the big rookie return, he’d be behind in terms of learning schemes, nuances of the pro game and so on. That would likely push his timetable to be a first-string contributor back well into the season, if it were to happen this season at all.
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Again, the first concern here is that McDowell isn’t seriously injured enough that this incident has substantial long-term effects on his career. However, it also hurts the Seahawks on the field. They were hoping to boost a sneakily weak part of their defense. Now, it appears that might not well be in the cards for 2017.