Travis Homer Activated From PUP List, Numerous Seahawks Return to Practice
With less than three weeks until their regular season opener against the Colts and the preseason finale looming this weekend, the Seahawks welcomed back eight players back to the practice field after being sidelined with injuries on Tuesday.
Along with veteran tight end Luke Willson practicing shortly after signing a one-year contract, Seattle activated running back Travis Homer from the PUP list and he practiced in limited fashion for the first time. The third-year running back out of Miam had been nursing a calf strain that he reinjured twice during the team's offseason program.
"Well, dang, I'm really excited about him coming back, you know?," coach Pete Carroll said of Homer following Tuesday's session. "He's different than the other guys, he runs different, he's got his own style, he's really downhill, he's really fast, such a tough football player in special teams. We love all of the versatility that he brings. He's a really good pass protector as well. And so, there's a lot of positives. So we're just gonna wait and see how he does, how he handles it."
Homer will be returning to a crowded backfield headlined by Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, and rising second-year back DeeJay Dallas. Veteran Alex Collins also remains in the mix for snaps and undrafted rookie Josh Johnson impressed in his second preseason game against the Broncos last Saturday, positioning himself to push for at least a practice squad spot.
In addition to Homer and quarterback Geno Smith coming back from a concussion, the Seahawks also brought back reinforcements along the offensive line, in the secondary, and at receiver with six other players returning to practice after extended layoffs.
Among those sporting a helmet on Tuesday, Penny Hart took part in positional drills as well as team sessions after missing two weeks with what Carroll deemed a "legit" ankle sprain. The former Georgia State star's return couldn't come at a better time after teammate John Ursua suffered a season-ending torn ACL last week and was placed on injured reserve.
Up front, tackles Jamarco Jones and Cedric Ogbuehi as well as center Ethan Pocic were full participants in a non-padded session, giving each of them a chance to make their preseason debuts against the Chargers this weekend. If Pocic plays - Carroll was non-committal about his status in that regard - it remains unclear whether he will start or Kyle Fuller will stay in the lineup for a third straight game.
On the defensive side of the ball, following lengthy layoffs with groin and knee injuries respectively, cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Marquise Blair also returned to action as full participants. Like Hart, their returns were well-timed, as rookie Tre Brown didn't practice with a sore knee and Carroll couldn't provide a timetable for his return, simply saying Seattle is evaluating him day-to-day for now.
With three weeks until the season opener, Carroll expects Reed and Blair to both be ready to go for the Seahawks in Indianapolis, with Reed still in the hunt to win the starting right cornerback job and Blair competing against Ugo Amadi in the slot.
