Jadeveon Clowney getting hip treatment ‘off campus,’ will be game-time decision vs. Eagles

RENTON, Wash. – Tyler Lockett will play Sunday for the Seahawks against the Eagles, apparently with no restrictions.

But Jadeveon Clowney is officially listed as questionable and considered a game-time decision as he has not been at practice the past two days, getting treatment “off campus” for a hip injury that crept up in the win last week at San Francisco.

Seattle also listed tight end Luke Willson (hamstring) as doubtful, and cornerback Neiko Thorpe (groin) as questionable.

The Seahawks also made one roster move Friday, placing tight end Ed Dickson on injured reserve and promoting Tyrone Swoopes off the practice squad to take his place on the 53-man roster.

That leaves Clowney’s status as the biggest question mark entering Sunday’s game, one that grew a little more ominous as details emerged.

Head coach Pete Carroll referred to Clowney’s injury as “a sore hip” and said he was out of the area getting treatment Friday and will meet the team in Philadelphia for the game Sunday.

Carroll said Clowney’s hip injury was “something he felt in the game” against the 49ers. “Just checking him out, making sure he is OK,” Carroll said.

Carroll said the team will make a determination on Clowney’s status for the game during pregame workouts.

“Got to make sure he’s OK,” Carroll said. “… we’ll see how he is on game day.”

Clowney had his breakout game with the Seahawks against the 49ers with five quarterback hits, a sack and a fumble returned for a touchdown in earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors and his loss for any amount of time would obviously be a major hit for a Seattle team that is 8-2 and coming off its best defensive performance of the season but also still chasing the 9-1 49ers in the NFC West standings.

In the better news department, Lockett, who suffered a shin contusion in the win over the 49ers on Nov. 11, was not given a designation on the injury status report and is apparently ready to resume a normal workload.

“It turned out fine,” Carroll said of how Lockett practiced this week.

Lockett was listed as limited in practice all three days this week as he continued to recover from the injury that caused him to spend two nights in a Bay Area hospital after the game due to concerns about swelling and the possibility of compartment syndrome. But Lockett returned to Seattle a week ago Wednesday and Carroll has consistently said the team was optimistic he wouldn’t miss any games, in part because the bye last week gave him some additional time to recover.

“He had a real contusion in his lower leg that just needed some time,” Carroll said. “And there’s enough time. Fortunately, he had the week off. I don’t know if he would have made it now had we played last week. That would have been hard to see that happening. But he’s ready go to now.”

The move to put Dickson on IR could mean the end of his Seattle career.

Dickson was activated off IR on Wednesday, which was the last day Seattle could do so and have him available to play at all this season. Dickson missed the first 10 games after having what was characterized as minor knee surgery in August – Carroll’s initial timetable on the injury was four to five weeks. Seattle carried Dickson on its initial 53-man roster so he would be eligible to return off IR later in the season. He officially returned to practice three weeks ago, as allowed by NFL rules, before being activated this week, the deadline for him to be placed on the 53-man roster.

But Carroll said it was obvious in Wednesday’s practice that Dickson’s knee was not yet recovered well enough to be effective on game day.

“He’s just not ready,” Carroll said. “It’s unfortunate and I feel bad for him and all, but it’s just the right thing to do. He’s not ready to play yet. … when we pushed it up you could tell. I sat with him and talked about it and talked through it and he understood. He could tell he didn’t quite feel as ready as he needed to be.”

Dickson signed a three-year deal worth up to $10.7 million in spring 2018, a contract that included $3.6 million guaranteed.

His Seattle career got off to a rocky start when he was placed on the Non-Football Injury list prior to training camp in 2018 due to a quad injury apparently suffered in workouts during the summer when he was away from the team. He returned to play in 10 games last year, plus one in the postseason, with 12 catches for 143 yards.

But those 10 games may be all he plays for Seattle. He has one year remaining on his contract but will be 33 next July. The Seahawks could save roughly $3.4 million in cap space releasing him (his $3 million base salary in 2020 is not guaranteed).