With the Seahawks finishing the preseason in Texas, it seems ironic that Friday could mark L.J. Collier’s final game with Seattle. The defensive lineman grew up in Munday, 175 miles west of AT&T Stadium, and he attended college down the road at TCU.
Collier’s spot on the roster is tenuous at best as an elbow injury has kept him out of the preseason.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said this week he is uncertain whether Collier will play against the Cowboys.
“Not yet,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “I can’t tell you yes on that one yet. . . . Let’s wait and see. We don’t know that.”
The Seahawks made Collier the 29th overall selection in 2019, but he hasn’t done enough to guarantee a fourth season in Seattle. He has played 37 games with 16 starts and has totaled 33 tackles, three sacks and 12 quarterback hits.
He practiced only 10 days in camp before his injury.
First-year defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt provided a frank answer when asked if he knows how Collier might fit in on the line.
“Right now, I mean, it’s difficult,” Hurtt said. “He was doing a nice job while he was out there on the field and he was healthy. But it’s a tough deal. I tell guys all the time, ‘It’s hard to make the club when you are in the tub.’ You’ve got to be out there and ready to go. When he’s out there practicing he gives great effort. But it’s tough.”
Collier is scheduled to make a nonguaranteed salary of $986,324 in 2022, so the Seahawks would save that much against their cap while taking a $2.4 million dead cap hit.
