LB K.J. Wright, TE Ed Dickson set to return for Seahawks — who could have the biggest impact?

After a Week 7 bye, the Seattle Seahawks will return to practice Monday afternoon. While fans will have to wait until later today to see a practice report, the team is expecting a return for two key players.

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The biggest name will be linebacker K.J. Wright, who has spent the first six weeks of the season recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. After a brief setback in his recovery during Week 3, Wright is prepared to make his regular season practice debut and, according to head coach Pete Carroll, will “compete to play” Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

A second returning player will be tight end Ed Dickson. Dickson signed with the Seahawks during free agency in March, but spent training camp on the Non-Football Injury list. Dickson kept the injury designation to start the regular season, which meant he would need to wait six weeks before returning to practice.

But which player can have the most immediate impact for the Seahawks?

“I think there’s no question that K.J. Wright is the most important player out of the two,” 710 ESPN Seattle contributor Jake Heaps said, while co-hosting Brock and Salk Monday.

“For this defense, when you look at what (linebacker) Mychal Kendricks was able to bring, he was able to bring a dynamic playmaking ability and was able to solidify that defensive front. With him and K.J. Wright out, they’ve been able to play well. But when you come down the stretch and you’re really playing these good, solid offenses, you’re going to need another guy next to Bobby Wagner who can really play and plug up the gaps and be able to play in pass coverage. And that’s what K.J. Wright brings.”

The team signed Kendricks after Week 1 to fill in at weakside linebacker. Kendricks (2 sacks, 15 tackles) played well in a relief effort, but was served an indefinite suspension on Oct. 2. Following the bye, the Seahawks’ defense will face a slate of quarterbacks that includes Matt Stafford, Philip Rivers, Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton.

Dickson’s return also comes at an ideal time for Seattle. The 31-year-old veteran was the team’s presumed starter before camp. His absence ultimately resulted in more playing time for rookie tight end Will Dissly, who posted 105 yards and a touchdown in his Week 1 debut and impressed the Seahawks enough to take over the top spot on the depth chart.

However, Dissly’s season ended when he suffered a patellar tendon injury in Week 4. Veteran Nick Vannett missed Week 6 with a back issue, further thinning the position.

Seattle promoted two additional tight ends — Darrell Daniels and Tyrone Swoopes — but Dickson’s return should be a boon for the offense.

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