Seahawks second-round pick Darrell Taylor trains for the first time

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Seattle Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor traveled the entire 2020 regular season without being able to see the training ground with the team that drafted him this spring.

But with the Seahawks in the playoffs, Taylor finally made it to the training ground for the first time on Tuesday.

Taylor was named to return from the non-football injury list on Tuesday. The former University of Tennessee star struggled to recover from off-season surgery to fix lingering stress fracture issues in his leg. Seattle selected Taylor with the 48th overall pick in the April NFL Draft and was hopeful he could help bolster a top unit that appears to be lacking on paper as the season enters. With the addition of Carlos Dunlap to the trade mid-season, the group has actually grown into a powerful top unit despite Taylor having to watch from the sidelines. Taylor had a metal rod inserted into his leg to help resolve the issue.

Taylor went for follow-up consultations in early December with head coach Pete Carroll saying he had an injection to help with the treatment process. When asked if the issue was a long-term concern for Taylor last week, Carroll was unwilling to entertain the idea.

“I’m trying not to go,” Carroll said. “I try to keep a good thought like we’re going to be OK if we give them enough time here and stuff. I don’t know what to say for the long haul. We’re just trying to get him back now and see what he’s capable of. It will definitely help him have another offseason. It will definitely help.

It looks a long way off that Taylor will actually see the squad this year before the end of the season. With games winning or coming home in the playoffs, there isn’t much of a chance to experiment and Seattle’s peak rotation is very deep at the moment. But it’ll give them a chance to see Taylor on the pitch for the first time and get a feel for what he’s going into in the offseason. The caveat would be that if Seattle makes a deep playoff series or someone gets injured, Taylor might have a chance to dress.

Since another former Seahawks second-round defensive line pick Malik McDowell has never seen the field with the team due to injuries sustained in an ATV crash, there has been some apprehension about Taylor’s struggle to return to action. Having the chance to get back on the pitch before the end of the year will be a big boost as we approach 2021.