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Seattle Seahawks' Steve Terrell on the spot as Earl Thomas replacement

By The Sports Xchange
Seattle Seahawks' free safety Steven Terrell (23) sacks Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Jameill Showers (7) in the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on August 25, 2016. Terrell will be replacing All-Pro safety Earl Thomas for the remainder of the 2016 season. Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI
Seattle Seahawks' free safety Steven Terrell (23) sacks Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Jameill Showers (7) in the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on August 25, 2016. Terrell will be replacing All-Pro safety Earl Thomas for the remainder of the 2016 season. Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI | License Photo

RENTON, Wash. -- The fate of the Seattle Seahawks season could rest on the play of a fourth-year safety with one career start.

Steven Terrell is tasked with the enormous job of replacing All-Pro safety Earl Thomas for the rest of the season. Thomas was lost for the season on Sunday night when he fractured the tibia in his left leg in a collision with teammate Kam Chancellor against the Carolina Panthers. Thomas had never missed a game in seven seasons with Seattle before being sidelined with a hamstring strain against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks ago. It gave Terrell the first start of his career. Now he'll have to carry the full load as far as the Seahawks can go.

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"He's well prepared. He's been working in our system for a long time," head coach Pete Carroll said. "He's looked really good when he's played, so hopefully he'll just continue to get better and more confident and flow with the guys better as we stay together out there."

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Terrell has now played significantly in Seattle's last three games. Along with the start against the Buccaneers, he played after Thomas was injured against the Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles.

"It was pretty tough hearing the news but for me, it was like, I need to step up, come in and do my job, do my part in this team and do the best I can to fill in for him," Terrell said.

He's played in 26 games for Seattle over the last three seasons. After a rookie season spent bouncing between Jacksonville and Houston, Terrell signed with the Seahawks early in training camp in 2014. He'd established a role as a key special teams contributor for Seattle and had played sparingly in relief roles at both safety and nickel cornerback.

Terrell understands the defense that Seattle plays. They have a base defensive philosophy that rarely varies regardless of the opponent. That won't change now just because Thomas isn't in the lineup.

"We'll run the exact same stuff we've been running," cornerback Richard Sherman said.

Opposing offenses will undoubtedly try to test him right away to figure out just what he can bring to the table. He's nearly recorded interceptions each of the last two weeks - an interception against Carolina was overturned due to a defensive penalty - but was partly responsible for the Panthers' lone touchdown last week on a 55-yard pass from Cam Newton to Ted Ginn.

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While Seattle re-signed Jeron Johnson to add depth to the group, Terrell is the Seahawks' best option at filling the hole created by Thomas' injury.

"Kam and Earl, they've played so many games together, they can just look at each other and know what the other person is thinking," Terrell said. "I'm not there yet. We're going to have to use verbal communication. We did a good job in the Tampa game of communicating early, so we're just looking to build on that."

--With Thomas out for the season, the Seahawks re-signed safety Jeron Johnson to bring an experienced backup into the secondary.

Johnson spent his first four seasons with Seattle from 2011-14. While he primarily played strong safety with the Seahawks, he is capable of playing both safety spots and is well-versed in Seattle's defensive scheme. Johnson takes the spot of Thomas on the roster, who was officially placed on injured reserve on Tuesday after fracturing his leg Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

"It's unfortunate what happened to Earl and the circumstances of why I'm here, but I'm very fortunate, grateful for the opportunity to come back," Johnson said.

Johnson appeared in 46 games for the Seahawks over that span and was a core member of Seattle's special teams unit. After becoming a free agent after Super Bowl XLIX, Johnson signed with the Washington Redskins. He played in 14 games and started two while recording 27 tackles.

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"We worked a few guys out but it really just made sense," head coach Pete Carroll said. "He looked good. He's in good shape and he's maintained a good conditioning level so it's just a real obvious choice for us."

Johnson has not been on a roster this season since being released by the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of training camp. He will serve as a backup option behind Steven Terrell, who takes Thomas' place in the starting lineup.

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