Seahawks Week 7 Thursday Practice Report: Duane Brown, 2 Safeties Sidelined
Set to face the AFC North-leading Ravens on Sunday, the Seahawks may be missing a few key pieces in their secondary and could be without two starting offensive linemen for a second straight week.
For a second straight practice, Bradley McDougald (back) and Lano Hill (elbow) did not participate, leaving the Seahawks with only two healthy safeties on the 53-man roster. Both players played in last week’s win over the Browns and didn’t exit with injuries, but their status remains unknown.
If McDougald and/or Hill can’t go, second-round pick Marquise Blair could earn his first career NFL start playing alongside Tedric Thompson. The rookie out of Utah hasn’t played many defensive snaps this year, though he did see the field for eight plays in Cleveland.
Still nursing a biceps injury, veteran left tackle Duane Brown has yet to return to practice and it’s looking less likely he’ll be able to make it back for Sunday’s game. He originally suffered the injury in a Week 3 loss to the Saints and after gutting through the pain for two games, the team held him out last week.
Earlier this week, coach Pete Carroll indicated if Brown couldn’t play against the Ravens, he’d have a great chance to return for Week 8 when the Seahawks travel to Atlanta. Assuming he's out for one more week, George Fant should receive a second consecutive starting nod.
While Brown hasn’t been able to get back onto the practice field, guard D.J. Fluker returned in limited fashion on Thursday, providing a glimmer of hope he may be able to play on Sunday. The veteran suffered a hamstring injury early in a Week 5 win over the Rams and Jamarco Jones started in his place last weekend.
Fluker remains day-to-day and if he continues to make progress, there’s a chance he could be back in the lineup.
In other injury news, defensive end Ziggy Ansah has missed each of the last two practices with an apparent ankle injury. He appeared to roll up the ankle during Sunday’s game, but continued to play and eventually forced a key fumble in the third quarter.
Along with Ansah, versatile defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson (oblique) was limited on Thursday after being a full participant during Wednesday’s practice. He’s battled a lingering hip injury for much of the year, but still has suited up for all six of Seattle’s games thus far.
After sitting out Wednesday’s session, linebacker K.J. Wright (knee) returned as a full participant on Thursday and should be ready to roll for Sunday. Receiver Tyler Lockett and running back Chris Carson also returned after receiving well-deserved rest days.
