Getty Seahawks wide receiver Cade Johnson at Lumen Field on August 21, 2021.
Just before halftime during the Seattle Seahawks preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, August 10, fans and analysts noticed a player being carried out of Lumen Field on a stretcher.
It was a confusing scene at first, as no major accident or collision happened on the field, but the Seahawks announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Cade Johnson is being transported to Harborview Medical Center as a precaution for head and neck injuries. He’s in stable condition. Prayers are up for him.”
A Seahawks player being taken off the field head and neck immobilized, strapped to a stretcher taking into the tunnel where an ambulance parks during games. Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant walking with him
After the Seahawks went on to defeat the Vikings 24-13, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll provided an update on the former undrafted receiver out of South Dakota State, who first signed with the team in 2021.
“The first thing that we heard was that it was no findings,” Carroll told reporters after the game. “I think he got concussed, but there were no findings beyond that at this point, so we got a real good report, the early one, I’m hoping that’s conclusive, but that’s what we heard… They just went to the max precautions, and the findings were already really positive.”
On Friday, August 11, the team announced even more good news. Johnson was released from Harborview Medical Center, per The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, but he remains in concussion protocol.
Thanks for all the Prayers 🙏🏽
Johnson send a message to fans following his release. “Thanks for all the Prayers 🙏🏽,” he tweeted.
How Did Cade Johnson Get Concussed?
As for what caused the concussion, The Athletic‘s Mike Dugar reported, “Johnson’s last time touching the ball was a kickoff return in the second quarter with about 11 minutes left.
“The 25-year-old took a hard fall, but was able to get up and keep playing. He was evaluated in the blue medical tent for the final four minutes of the second quarter before being stretchered off the field with his head and neck stabilized, and facemask removed.”
Hopefully, Johnson recovers quickly, as he has high hopes for the 2023 NFL season. He told SI in July, “I just want to come and show I’m a consistent player and just work every day. I know with the league and the numbers game and all that stuff, I feel confident in my abilities and what Seattle has for me.
“I’m going into year three here, and just just to be here, coming out as an undrafted rookie and battling injuries when I first came in and stuff like that, I really just want to like be able to make an impact on special teams and offense. I’m really looking forward to this preseason and just keeping like a full head of steam and just going up.”
Cade Johnson was On Track to Make the 53-Man Roster
It’s tough to compete with the intimidating Seahawks’ wide receiver trio that is DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but Johnson was looking to prove himself, especially since his first two seasons with the team didn’t exactly go as planned.
While Johnson recorded nearly 3,000 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns at South Dakota State, and the 5-foot-10, 184-pounder performed well during his first preseason with Seahawks, producing nine receptions for 72 yards per SI‘s Corbin K. Smith, he failed to make the active roster and spent his rookie year on the practice squad.
He spent the bulk of last season on the practice squad but was elevated for three games, during which he made “two clutch first down grabs,” Smith noted, which helped the Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams, and punch their ticket to the postseason.
Cade Johnson snagging a corner route during individual drill work. #Seahawks
Johnson was having a great training camp before going down during the Seahawks preseason matchup on Friday, and The Athletic projected the third-year receiver beating out making the 53-man roster alongside Metcalf, Lockett, Smith-Njigba, Dareke Young, and Cody Johnson. Veteran Dee Eskridge‘s role remains in flux due to his six-game suspension.
Before the preseason started, the receivers projected to get cut were Jake Bobo, who had his moment to shine against the Vikings amid Johnson’s absence, as did Easop Winston Jr. Others receiver expected to make it through final cuts include John Hall, Matt Hall, and Tyjon Lindsey.