Mike Macdonald: Seahawks will be without Jerome Baker, Tyrel Dodson until training camp

If Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson are meant to be the starting linebacker pair for the Seattle Seahawks this season, it looks like we won’t see them together even in practice until the start of training camp... at the earliest.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald told media at Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp that Dodson is dealing with an undisclosed injury that will keep him out until the end of next month.

This news comes while Baker has been recovering from season-ending wrist surgery, which brought his Miami Dolphins tenure to an end.

With those two on the mend, Jon Rhattigan and Patrick O’Connell assumed first-team duties in the first minicamp practice of the week, a continuation of what we’ve seen at OTAs. The linebacker depth of Rhattigan, O’Connell, fourth-round rookie Tyrice Knight, Drake Thomas, UDFA rookies Easton Gibbs and Devin Richardson have a combined 23 NFL regular season snaps (19 for Rhattigan, 4 for Thomas).

The Seahawks made the decision to move on from Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks in free agency and effectively replaced them with Baker and Dodson on one-year deals. Knight was the only inside linebacker Seattle drafted, so a lot is hinging upon the free agent signings and the defensive coaching staff to assuage concerns about the depth at this position. Neither Baker nor Dodson is currently in danger of missing games, but it’s obviously less than ideal to have new players unable to get offseason reps in a new system.