The Seahawks’ defensive line has taken some hits this offseason. After the Frank Clark trade, Jarran Reed encountered a six-game suspension and first-round pick L.J. Collier suffered an ankle sprain that’s expected to sideline him a while.
Ziggy Ansah, however, tentatively stands to provide much-needed assistance. The seventh-year defensive end avoided the PUP list and has a good chance of being in Seattle’s starting lineup by Week 1, per Pete Carroll.
“I’m counting on it that he’s going to make it,” the 10th-year Seahawks coach said during an interview with KJR Radio (via Pro Football Talk) of Ansah returning in time for the regular season. “I don’t see any reason that he wouldn’t. He’s doing great, has made progress throughout. I’m not really concerned about the preseason games for him. I just want to get him to game time if we can.”
Carroll hopes Ansah will be able to practice fully in the coming weeks. The longtime Lions defensive end has spent the past several months recovering from shoulder surgery. Should Ansah return in time for the Seahawks’ opener against the Bengals, he will be by far the most accomplished defensive lineman in the team’s lineup.
Ansah, 30, signed with the Seahawks shortly after the draft. Injuries, however, have limited the former top-five pick for much of his career. Most recently, he missed nine games for the 2018 Lions. He registered 12 sacks in 2017, prompting the Lions to use their 2018 franchise tag on him. Ansah has two seasons of at least 12 QB drops, having recorded 14.5 in a Pro Bowl 2015 campaign.