Carlos Dunlap, Brandon Shell Questionable to Play for Seahawks vs. Washington

Though both players missed at least two practices this week, the Seahawks remain hopeful right tackle Brandon Shell and defensive end Carlos Dunlap will be able to suit up for a Week 15 road trip against the Washington Football Team.

Shell, who has been dealing with a high ankle sprain suffered in mid-November against Arizona, returned to the starting lineup against the New York Jets last Sunday. But he aggravated the injury several times in the first half and Seattle ultimately pulled him late in the second quarter, replacing him with Chad Wheeler for the remainder of the game.

According to coach Pete Carroll, Shell missed his third consecutive practice on Friday, but the team isn't ready to rule him out for Sunday just yet.

If Shell can't go, Cedric Ogbuehi returned to practice after missing a pair of games with a calf injury and would be expected to start at right tackle. With Jamarco Jones still nursing a groin injury and already ruled out for this weekend, Wheeler would serve as his backup.

As for Dunlap, he returned to practice for the first time in two weeks on Friday. The veteran defensive end suffered a foot sprain in a Week 12 win at Philadelphia and though he played against the New York Giants the next week, Seattle held him out in Week 14 with hopes the extra rest could help his injury heal.

"That was a good sign for him," Carroll said in regard to Dunlap's status for Sunday. "Hopes that he'll be able to pull it off and play on the weekend. We'll see. I can't tell you yet. I won't really know until game day on both of those guys."

Since being acquired prior to the trade deadline from the Bengals, Dunlap has been a revelation at the LEO defensive end spot, producing 4.0 sacks and seven quarterback hits in just five games. His presence has elevated the play of others around him as well, as the Seahawks have amassed 24 sacks as a team since his arrival.

Aside from Shell and Dunlap, safety Damarious Randall and cornerback Jason Stanley also received questionable designations for Sunday after missing practice time this week. Randall has been dealing with a sore foot coming out of last week's win over the Jets, while Stanley has an apparent shoulder injury.

Along with Jones, the Seahawks also ruled out running back Travis Homer (hand/knee) and guard Phil Haynes (groin). Per Carroll, all three players are dealing with "long term" injury situations and the team will be assessing the next course of action for each of them in coming days.

"We're working on what's going on with those guys," Carroll clarified. "It's a little bit gray area right now, but if you can just hang on for a couple more days, it will make more sense."

Interestingly, Seattle may need up to three spots on the 53-man roster for Sunday's game with running back Rashaad Penny, cornerback Quinton Dunbar, and tight end Greg Olsen all practicing this week. While Carroll refused to commit to any of the three players being activated this weekend, their potential returns could lead to injured reserve moves for Jones, Homer, and/or Haynes to create necessary roster flexibility.