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Wide receiver Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks remained steadfast on December 30 in his desire to play in Week 17 despite undergoing hand surgery less than two weeks ago.
Considering the situation and Lockett’s reputation, that’s not surprising. The Seahawks need to beat the New York Jets on January 1 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
So Lockett is going to do everything he can to play.
“We’re only guaranteed two games,” Lockett told the media on December 30. “I can sit at home in the offseason and get my hand right.”
If Lockett plays, he will only miss one game because of his fractured hand. He sustained the injury late in Week 15 on Thursday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers.
Tyler Lockett Performed ‘Quite Well’ in Practice
The veteran receiver participated in a limited fashion at practice on December 29. But in the final practice of the week, Lockett was a full participant.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll sounded pleased with what Lockett showed in the full practice.
“He did well,” Carroll told the media. “He’s still questionable on the chart, but he did quite well.”
“There was no indication of anything bothering him catching the ball. Right from the first time he came out here.”
After a follow up question, Carroll added that he wanted to see how Lockett’s hand reacts to the workout he underwent Friday before making a final determination of his status for Week 17.
Lockett told the media that he “feels the same” as he has all season. Obviously, that’s a great sign.
The 30-year-old leads the Seahawks with 8 touchdowns and 68.9 receiving yards per game. He has posted 78 receptions and 964 receiving yards in 14 contests this season.
Seahawks Training Staff Will Have Final Say on Tyler Lockett’s Status
Lockett is obviously advocating to play, and Carroll doesn’t sound against it. But neither will have the ultimate final say on whether Lockett is active.
That decision belongs to the team’s training staff.
“It’s their decision,” Lockett told the media. “Sometimes you’ve got to have people protect you from yourself. They’ve got to find the best way, if I am able to play, to take care of my hand and make sure my hand is good for them, because I don’t really care as much.”
The procedure Lockett underwent was designed specifically for the receiver to return quickly. Seahawks.com reported the receiver had a plate and 10 screws placed into his hand.
Lockett was against having any type of surgery on his hand at first. But after being told the surgery would make it easier to return faster, Lockett chose the plate and double-digit screws.
“I’ll do whatever I can to try to come back and play,” said Lockett.
It would have been interesting to see how the Seahawks approached Lockett’s surgery and recovery timeline had the team been in better playoff position late this month. Lockett didn’t need surgery for his hand to heal, but the procedure is speeding up his return.
The Seahawks have lost five of their last six games to drop to 7-8. Because of that skid, the Seahawks sit half a game back of the final NFC Wild Card spot with two weeks remaining.
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