The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Houston Texans 33-13 on Sunday, December 12, to reach 5-8 on the season. However, the team also lost defensive back Gavin Heslop for the season due to a leg injury.
Head coach Pete Carroll met with members of the media on Monday, December 13, and confirmed that the second-year player broke both his fibula and tibia. He had to remain in Houston overnight and undergo surgery to repair the damage. Heslop will miss the remainder of the season, but he should be able to return for 2022.
“He had a real successful surgery,” Carroll said about Heslop during his media availability. “He sounded way better, was much more upbeat about that everything worked out OK and all that. He’ll get back here in a couple days.”
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Heslop Had Just Landed on the Active Roster
A former undrafted free agent out of Stony Brook, Heslop landed with the Seahawks in 2020. He spent the entire season on the practice squad but made one appearance on the active roster for an October 3 game against the Dolphins.
Heslop started the 2021 season on the practice squad, but the team elevated him to the active roster for games against the Cardinals (November 21) and the Football Team (November 29). The Seahawks signed Heslop to the active roster once again on December 10 after Jamal Adams underwent season-ending surgery on his shoulder.
Heslop began the December 12 game against the Texans on the sidelines. However, he came into the game in relief of Quandre Diggs to take part in the first defensive snaps of his NFL career. He suffered the injury with 1:12 remaining in the fourth quarter after Texans quarterback Davis Mills completed an 18-yard pass to Nico Collins. The Texans wide receiver landed on Heslop’s leg and caused the break.
2 Other Seahawks Defenders Avoided Major Injuries
The game against the Texans featured multiple injuries on both rosters. For the Seahawks specifically, Heslop suffered a season-ending injury while cornerback DJ Reed and defensive tackle Bryan Mone both left the game but avoided serious issues.
According to Carroll, Mone suffered a knee sprain. The head coach indicated that the defensive tackle likely would not practice during the week, but he expressed optimism about Mone’s recovery after saying that he believed the injury was a PCL sprain.
Mone has been a key rotational player for the Seahawks during the 2021 season. He has started four of the 13 games and has registered 31 combined tackles with 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Mone also added three quarterback hits, including two against the Cardinals.
Similarly, Carroll said that Reed should be back in time for the December 19 game against the Rams. The veteran cornerback left the game after a hard collision with Texans tight end Brevin Jordan, but he avoided major issues.
“From what I understand, he’s OK,” Carroll said during his media availability. “He took that big shot to the chest, got the wind knocked out of him and all of that, but from what I hear, he should be OK for the weekend.”
Reed has been the most consistent cornerback on the roster while earning an overall grade of 68.7 from Pro Football Focus. His 57 solo tackles put him in a tie for third overall in the NFL and his run defense grade of 87.3 is second-best in the NFL among cornerbacks behind Cameron Dantzler of the Vikings.
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Seahawks DB Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery