Richard Sherman to have elbow surgery, other Seahawks defensive backs banged up as well

The Seahawks will have a couple of cornerbacks rehabbing injuries as the offseason gets underway.

Coach Pete Carroll confirmed, via the team, reports that Richard Sherman needs to have Tommy John surgery after injuring his left elbow in the NFC Championship game. The surgery is common among pitchers in Major League Baseball and involves taking a tendon from elsewhere in the body and replacing a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow.

The recovery time for pitchers is quite long, but it is unclear at the moment how long a timeline Sherman faces before he’ll be able to resume a full workload. Carroll did say that he didn’t expect Sherman to miss time next season.

Cornerback Jeremy Lane had a brief but eventful Super Bowl. He intercepted Tom Brady to end a first quarter Patriots possession, but injured his arm on the play. It looked like a serious injury at the time and Carroll said Monday that Lane suffered a “significant” broken arm.

Safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor may also need to have surgery this offseason after picking up injuries in the playoffs, leaving the Seahawks with most of the key members of their secondary in need of medical attention as the offseason begins. Putting them back into the mix when they return to full speed will be the responsibility of a new defensive coordinator as Carroll also confirmed that Dan Quinn, expected to be named the Falcons head coach on Tuesday, is moving on.