Getty The Seahawks traded up to snag defensive end Darrell Taylor.
Seattle Seahawks rookie defensive end Darrell Taylor was placed on the non-football injury list, but this has been part of the franchise’s plan to bring along the former Tennessee pass rusher. Taylor can be removed from this list at any point during training camp which would allow him not to miss any games. The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell reported that Taylor dealt with a stress fracture in his leg during Senior Bowl week.
“Darrell Taylor is on Seahawks NFI list so he can continue his rehab from surgery Jan. 30 to repair a stress fracture in his lower leg,” Bell noted on Twitter. “No real alarm, just precaution to ramp him up for the season. He played through pain 2019 at Univ of Tennessee, then surgery after Senior Bowl.”
Bell also added that Taylor had a Titanium rod placed in his leg during the surgery, so the team wants to be extra cautious in his recovery. The Seahawks also announced that tight end Colby Parkinson and Marcus Webb joined Taylor on the non-football injury list. These three players still count towards the active roster meaning the moves do not open up additional spots to sign more personnel.
The Seahawks Traded Up to Draft Taylor in the 2nd Round
The Seahawks are hoping Taylor can be a key part of the team’s pass rush this season. After the draft, the Seahawks revealed that they considered taking Taylor with their first-round selection.
After opting for Jordyn Brooks with their first pick, the Seahawks traded up in the second round to select Taylor at No. 48. Pete Carroll admitted that the team worried they had “missed our chance” after passing him in the first round.
“Getting Darrell, that was a big deal because we thought maybe we had missed our chance in a sense and we really wanted to get him on the rush group,” Carroll said, per ESPN 710 Seattle. “… That was a big pick for us.”
Seattle Viewed Taylor as One of the Best Pass Rushers in the 2020 NFL Draft
Seahawks general manager John Schneider labeled Taylor as one of the best pass rushers in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Seahawks traded with the Jets which would turn out to be a precursor to the Jamal Adams deal.
“He was in consideration last night,” Schneider explained, via Seahawks.com. “Our guys did a great job of working their tails off trying to keep getting up to try to acquire him, and it was pretty hot. We view him as one of the very, very top pass rushers in this (class)… From the get go this morning, we were on it, trying to move the whole way. We were trying to go up pretty high to get him. Like I said, we considered taking him last night, so it was on for a long time. And then, finally, we’re able to get a deal done with the Jets and (general manager) Joe Douglas, and we were able to get on the clock and take him, so it was very exciting.”
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