Doug Baldwin injury update: Seahawks WR returning to practice Seattle Seahawks T-Shirt , could play vs. Cardinals The Seattle Seahawks offense has been without star wide receiver Doug Baldwin for all but a handful of plays this regular season, but we could see #89 back on the field as early as this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.Head coach Pete Carroll confirmed on Wednesday that Baldwin would be back in practice, two weeks removed from a partial MCL tear in Seattle’s opening day loss against the Denver Broncos.“He’s gonna practice today,” Carroll said (via Seahawks Wire). “It’s a great step, jump for him to make. He’s in the walkthrough today, he’ll practice for the first time in a few weeks. He looks really good and light on his feet and he’s very confident that he can have a chance to play this week. So we’ll see how that goes.”Baldwin came into the regular season banged up, having dealt with soreness in his left knee that caused him to miss all of preseason, and he even admitted he won’t be 100% throughout the year as a result. He is the most important non-Russell Wilson player on the Seahawks offense, so his returning presence is very much welcome, whether it’s this week or the following week against the Los Angeles Rams.Without Baldwin, Tyler Lockett is the only Seahawks WR with at least 10 catches Seattle Seahawks Hats , as he has 12 on 17 targets, with 3 of those turned into touchdowns. Brandon Marshall is Seattle’s second-leading WR at 9 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, but he only has a 50% catch rate, multiple drops, and a touchdown-nullifying offensive pass interference call. Jaron Brown runs third with 6 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown on 9 targets. Neither Keenan Reynolds nor David Moore has officially been targeted, although Moore did draw defensive pass interference against the Chicago Bears, but that’s listed as “No Play.” Isaiah Johnson looks like a Seattle Seahawk. That was abundantly clear at the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl. First there were the weigh ins where, after a blurry 7am start, Johnson measured in at 6 ft 2, 207 lbs with 33 and 5/8th inch arms. The arm length was most intriguing.In the John Schneider-Pete Carroll era, the Seahawks have only taken cornerbacks with arms measuring in at 32 inches or above. For corners Seattle Seahawks Hoodie , length matters. That’s particularly true in Carroll’s defensive system, where the schemer relies on press coverage to disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage and covets ball-hawking. Three other players met Seattle’s arm length threshold, with most struggling to show consistent technique or ability: The talked-up guy in the group was the fabulously named Rock Ya-Sin. What separated Johnson from Ya-Sin was: 1. 6ft 2 versus 5ft 11 and 2. Ya-Sin’s technique. In each practice, Ya-Sin opted to mirror receivers in press alignment. He struggled against the better receivers, seeing the line of scrimmage get re-set with no contact made. This dancing style at the line of scrimmage works fine for some corners, but it’s not what the Seahawks coach. Seattle doesn’t want their cornerbacks to be the receiver’s “puppet on a string”. They take the fight to the receiver with a step kick technique. The defender steps at the line of scrimmage, waiting for the receiver to finish his deceptive dancing. They then get hands on the receiver in their jam and kick backwards once the receiver has declared downfield. The toughest part is staying patient at the line of scrimmage for the receiver to make his genuine move. Johnson utilized this well. Johnson’s roughest showing by far was Day 2, where he decided to backpedal and try the mirror technique. But when using the step-kick, he physically dominated receivers at the line of scrimmage and looked far more comfortable. After the final practice, I talked with the Houston prospect about his variations in technique:It was interesting talking with Johnson. Discovering that he prefers the way the Seahawks play their corners made sense. Johnson played super physically, sparking a “get the F@*% off me” yell from a frustrated receiver. In truth Youth Customized Seattle Seahawks Jerseys , he was overly grabby and holding on to guys too much. But it’s far easier to tone physicality down than it is to dial it up. Johnson’s decision to show different things was smart for his job prospects, but what makes him such an attractive proposition in Seattle is the fact he excels at the step-kick. He did in college, he did in Mobile and he would in the Pacific Northwest. He’s a player that screams SEAHAWKS and is a baller to look out for as draft talk ramps up. His ball skills aren’t just aided by his long arms; Johnson was recruited as a receiver. He only made the switch to cornerback in his junior year. Like Richard Sherman, Johnson clearly benefits from his two years of experience on offense. Carroll would salivate over another conversion.The days of getting Johnson’s type in the 5th round could be long gone, but his limited experience makes him specific schematic fit that is raw in certain areas. For instance, the step-kick would benefit from some of Carroll’s coaching as Johnson sometimes takes too late a step, too bouncy of a step and/or too wide a step. The idea of the step is to sync up the timing and aid the patience. It must be done quickly, without a hop and within the frame. Johnson’s patchy step limited his ability to react on time and locked him up, seeing him get beat at the snap.He also bit outside on the talented Jakobi Meyers’ jab step inside in the game. Fortunately for Johnson, the awful Trace McSorely missed the wide-open touchdown on 3rd and 2.Currently, early day 3 range feels about right for Johnson. He only became a starter in 2018 www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com , where he started in 10 of 11 games. Testing will have a large say on where he goes. As long as Johnson doesn’t run in the 4.7s, and he won’t, then his very good long speed is somewhat irrelevant as jamming with step-kick at the line of scrimmage slows receivers massively. His hips, change of direction skills, and general movement ability looked impressively fluid too. We know the Seahawks are going to trade down multiple times from their current position at 21 in the first round. Picking up a 4th round pick in such a situation and spending it on Johnson would make lots of sense, particularly with how Shaquill Griffin struggled as the season progressed. Always compete.