Seahawks lose Mebane for season with hamstring injury
RENTON, Wash. -- Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane will miss the rest of the season for the Seattle Seahawks after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a hamstring injury.
The move was expected after coach Pete Carroll said Monday that the injury suffered in Seattle's 38-17 win over the Giants was "legit." The team had been waiting for additional results. Fox Sports first reported that Mebane suffered a torn hamstring.
Mebane's loss is a blow to Seattle's run defense, which ranks fourth in the league at 79.8 yards per game. While his stats don't jump out, Mebane's ability to clog running lanes and control blockers has allowed Seattle's linebackers to step up and stop ball carries.
Mebane has also been in on the most snaps of any of Seattle's defensive tackles.
Mebane appeared to have been hurt early in the second quarter while chasing down a wide receiver screen. Eli Manning completed a short pass for Reuben Randle and Mebane appeared to grab at the back of his right leg while running after him. The completion was wiped out by a penalty, but Mebane did not take the field again.
With Mebane out, Seattle will lean more on Kevin Williams and Tony McDaniel to fill the void. Williams has 42.9 percent of Seattle's defensive snaps this season, according to Football Outsiders. McDaniel has been in on 39 percent. Those are expected to increase significantly, although the Seahawks were helped by the return of Jordan Hill last week after he missed three games with an ankle injury.
Seattle also signed former San Francisco defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs last week and fullback Will Tukuafu has played some on the defensive line in the past.
"We feel OK right now. We don't need to go scour but we will anyway and I'm kind of excited to see how these guys take to it," Carroll said. "Kevin (Williams) has shown us plenty of good things and Tony (McDaniel) has been playing really good, hard football, tough football for us. Jordan (Hill) is a different kind of athlete in there. He's got really great quickness and a little different style player. But we like the way he gives it, too, so we will see how it goes."
Seattle filled its open roster spot by signing tight end RaShaun Allen off Minnesota's practice squad. Allen was with Seattle through the early part of the season and saw action in the Seahawks' Week 7 loss at St. Louis. He was released a week later and signed to Minnesota's practice squad.
Allen's signing gives Seattle five tight ends on its active roster and is another indication that Zach Miller -- out since ankle surgery after Week 3 -- is still behind in his recovery. Backup Luke Willson suffered a sprained ankle last week against the Giants and third-stringer Cooper Helfet has been bothered by a knee injury. Seattle signed Tony Moeaki last week, but he was inactive against the Giants.