Pete Carroll updates status of Seahawks injuries

By Liz Mathews

Following the Seahawks non-OTA workout Friday morning, head coach Pete Carroll spoke to the media and updated the injury situation regarding the veterans returning from last season.

A number of players were absent from the workout, most notably wide receivers Mike Williams and Sidney Rice.

“Yes, they both cannot go yet on the field,” Carroll said. “They’re going to be a little while before they’re ready to go.

Williams suffered a broken left fibula on Dec. 18 during Seattle’s win over the Chicago Bears. Williams began running on April 15, but his timeline for a full recovery remains uncertain. Rice underwent two separate shoulder surgeries this offseason — one to repair the torn labrum he suffered during last year’s training camp and the second to address an older injury. Missing only the first two games of last season due to the shoulder issues, Rice was placed on the injured reserve Nov. 30 as a result of a concussion.

Carroll also updated the status of the three offensive linemen who finished the season on the injured reserve: left tackle Russell Okung, right guard John Moffitt and right tackle James Carpenter.

“I think he’s in great shape, he’s really doing well,” Carroll said of Okung, who tore his right pectoral muscle Dec. 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. “It looks like he’s on the verge of getting back to it. We don’t need to rush anything at all, so we’re not. He can’t load up (in pads), which we can’t do anyway, so this is benefiting him.”

Carroll did say that Okung is able to run, although not quite at full speed. He was a limited participant in the drills on Friday.

Right-side starters Moffitt and Carpenter both suffered season-ending knee injuries last year and it now seems likely that Moffitt will be ready to return to full practice by the start of training camp.

“Johnny’s doing good,” Carroll said. “He’s out here battling, too.”

Moffitt has yet to be cleared for full practice but is able to join the huddle and participate on a limited basis. As expected, Carpenter is a little farther behind in the recovery process due to the severity of his injury.

“The timeline we don’t know but he’s progressing and he’s working real hard at it,” Carroll said. “His weight’s way down. He’s really done a good job of managing that during this time, so we’ll get him back when we do.”

Carpenter was present and on the field Friday. He could start the season on the physically unable to perform list.

As for incumbent starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, he said he is well on the way to a complete recovery. Jackson injured his pectoral muscle last season, but was able to play through the pain. No surgery was needed in the offseason and he spent the time rehabbing and strengthening the muscle. Jackson said he didn’t have any issues throwing the ball, but that he had been taking it easy as far as weight lifting was concerned.

“I’m just here to do the best I can and compete with whoever is brought in, compete with my teammates, compete with myself and just be the best I can be and improve from last year,” Jackson said. “I’m healthy, I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully I can stay healthy and just keep getting better day in and day out.”