Seahawks bring back RB Bryce Brown; Marshawn Lynch to continue rehab ‘off-site’
Dec 14, 2015, 4:53 PM | Updated: Dec 15, 2015, 9:22 am
Marshawn Lynch last played Nov. 15 against Arizona, which was 10 days before his abdominal surgery. (AP)
(AP)
BY
Former Seattle Sports Lead Editor
RENTON – Bryce Brown is coming back while Marshawn Lynch is going … somewhere and will be back at … some point.
Coach Pete Carroll said Monday that the Seahawks still don’t know when Lynch will be able to return to their backfield, which is suddenly the team’s most pressing issue after losing Thomas Rawls to a season-ending broken ankle on Sunday. Carroll confirmed that Brown has been re-signed and also revealed that Lynch will continue his rehab from abdominal surgery “off-site” until he’s ready to resume practicing.
“We don’t have a timeline on that,” Carroll said, later adding that the team doesn’t know for certain that he will return at some point during the regular season, which has three weeks left.
It wasn’t any more clear as to why Lynch would now continue his rehab elsewhere when that’s typically done at the team’s facility under the watch of the team’s medical staff.
“Just think it’s best, that it would be best for him,” Carroll said when asked about the reasoning.
Lynch’s whereabouts were a topic last Monday, when Carroll said he was “at large” while declining to specify. Lynch had undergone surgery in Philadelphia on Nov. 25 and remained back east for a few days. He was seen at the team’s facility last Wednesday, and on Friday Carroll confirmed that he was back.
And now he’s left. Carroll had some fun when asked where Lynch will be.
“You’ll have to talk to him about that,” he responded.
With Rawls done for the season and Lynch’s status still uncertain, Brown gives the Seahawks another healthy runner. And a familiar one. He was with the team for two stints earlier this season, most recently released the day before Seattle played Pittsburgh two weeks ago. Brown was inactive during the two games he spent on Seattle’s roster.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to bring a guy back that we’ve been training,” Carroll said. “We liked the work that he did. Roster issues made him come and go a little bit here but we’re happy to get him back.”
Either Lynch or Rawls were healthy during Brown’s earlier stints with the Seahawks, so his presence then was for depth and insurance. With both players now out, Brown will compete with DuJuan Harris to be the starter while Fred Jackson remains in his role as the third-down back. Fullback Derrick Coleman has a chance to earn some carries as well.
“We’ll check out the week and then make those determinations later,” Carroll said.
