Teammates: Kam Chancellor isn’t missing a step in Seahawks return

RENTON – Sure hands was the only thing Earl Thomas didn’t see from Kam Chancellor on Wednesday during his first practice with the Seahawks in more than three months.

“He looked great. He just had butterfingers on a couple missed interceptions,” Thomas said Thursday, “but he’s a great athlete. He’s trimmed down, and he looks ready to go.”

Chancellor returned to the Seahawks on Wednesday, ending a holdout that officially began at the start of training camp, continued through the preseason and saw him miss Seattle’s first two games. The Seahawks’ practice Wednesday afternoon marked the first time since minicamp in mid-June that their two starting safeties were on the field together at the same time.

“He looked smooth,” Thomas said of Chancellor. “The first day, he just fit right in. He really understands what’s going on around him. He helps in getting people lined up. He’s a great communicator and he’s going to be a big help.”

Defensive end Michael Bennett said of the way Chancellor practiced Wednesday, “it felt like he never left.”

“He came back and he was really poised, he did everything he usually does,” Bennett said. “He even made checks that we haven’t heard in a while. It was like ‘Oh, damn. Kam’s back.’ He knows exactly when to call things, and it’s cool to have him back out there. He’s so comfortable in his position and he’s one of the best at his job.”

It’s not certain how much – if at all – Chancellor will play Sunday against Chicago. Coach Pete Carroll hopes he can but said Wednesday that it will depend on how well Chancellor handles the week of practice, his first in quite some time.

Bennett was asked by a reporter whether a guy like Chancellor could return mid-week from an extended absence and play an entire game’s worth of snaps only a few days later.

“Maybe a guy not like you, but like Kam, probably so. You’re a little out of shape,” Bennett told the reporter, “but Kam, he’s a great athlete. He’s been doing a lot of things, he’s been working out. I don’t really follow Instagram, but somebody told me they showed some pictures and he was showing his abs and stuff. Obviously he’s been working out. I think he’s going to be ready and he’s going to be able to play and make a lot of good plays.”

Related

Raiders’ QB trade sets up No. 1 pick Mendoza for 1st start vs SeahawksUW Huskies to play home-and-home football series vs Notre DameNFC West Trade: 49ers acquiring veteran WR from ColtsKraken land in Helsinki with Finnish players serving as tour guidesSchlereth: Charbonnet gives Seahawks’ offense something ‘different’Scoring is down in the Big Ten because of QB injuries