The Seattle Seahawks could be without Tedric Thompson on Sunday, as the free safety is listed doubtful against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Thompson is dealing with a hamstring injury, and while coach Pete Carroll wouldn’t say whether he thought he would play, guys have rarely played after getting the doubtful designation in the Carroll era.
That likely leaves a starting safety position up for grabs, and it sounds like fellow third-year veteran Lano Hill will get the first chance to start alongside Bradley McDougald for the Seahawks.
“He’s done really well,” coach Carroll commented on Friday. “He’s come back to be back at full speed. He’s been practicing with us for quite some time now. If he gets the chance to play, he’s ready to go. We all remember that he finished really well last year, and he’s jumped right back at it. He’s ahead of where he was in terms of just awareness in the scheme of what’s asked of him and all of that. We’re very comfortable with him playing.”
Coach said that Hill can play both strong and free safety, although it is more likely he will line up at strong safety and push McDougald over to the free spot, as he has shown more versatility in his career.
Hill appeared in 13 games for the Seahawks last year, starting two near the end of the season. He racked up 24 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and one pass defended.
“We thought he was the best tackler in the draft when he came out,” Carroll continued. “He’s not disappointed since then. He’s got all of the right stuff. He just needed to kind of grow up with us and we feel like he’s had the time to do that.”
Previously a special teams player, Hill now has a chance to take over a starting role in the secondary.
A strong performance against Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers could ensure that he doesn’t give the job back to Thompson when he’s healthy.
