Seahawks Hopeful Brandon Shell, Carlos Dunlap Can Play vs. Washington in Week 15

While the status of both players will be evaluated throughout the week, the Seahawks are holding out hope tackle Brandon Shell and defensive end Carlos Dunlap will be able to suit up against the Washington Football Team in Week 15.

Returning to action after a two-game absence to face his former team in the Jets, Shell re-aggravated his high ankle sprain a couple times during the first half on Sunday's 40-3 victory, eventually exiting late in the second quarter. Chad Wheeler and Kyle Fuller both received reps in his absence as Seattle continued to pull away in the second half.

Speaking with Shell on Monday morning, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll indicated the veteran told him "he's not worse than he was last week," a positive sign he didn't further injure the ankle returning too soon.

"He tweaked it a couple times in the game and we determined that we didn't want to finish him," Carroll said. "We'll see how that goes. Whether he can play the whole game, I don't know, but he's preparing to play and we'll see that how goes. We won't know until we get through the week here."

If Shell isn't able to suit up, Carroll said reserve Cedric Ogbuehi is expected to return to practice on Wednesday after being inactive for two games with a calf injury. It remains unclear whether Ogbuehi or Wheeler would get the call to start against Washington, which features several quality pass rushers on defense, including first-round pick Chase Young and Montez Sweat.

While Shell tried to play on Sunday, the Seahawks took a different approach with Dunlap, who has been nursing a sore foot since a Week 12 win over the Eagles. After dressing against the Giants and playing limited snaps, the team opted to rest him all of last week and he was held out for precautionary reasons against the Jets.

Per Carroll, Dunlap has his sights on getting back on the field this weekend, but as with Shell, it will be a day-to-day assessment to determine whether he's ready or not.

"I'll know way more Wednesday, but he is planning to play [in Washington]," Carroll clarified. "That's his thought that he's going to be able to make it back... We gotta wait and get through the week and see how he handles it, but his intention is to get back to play."

In other injury-related news, running back Rashaad Penny and cornerback Quinton Dunbar will be "practicing to play" this week, according to Carroll. Each player was designated to return from the PUP list and injured reserve last week respectively, but Seattle opted not to activate either of them to the 53-man roster.

Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson raved about Penny's first week of practice last week and if the third-year back can turn in another strong week, he may make his 2020 debut against Washington. If that happens, Travis Homer could head to injured reserve after missing the past four games with various injuries to make room on the roster.

As for Dunbar, he should have extra motivation to make it back onto the field this week, as the veteran defender played his first five seasons in Washington before being traded to Seattle back in March. He has been out for the past four weeks with a knee issue that has bothered him throughout the season.

While he's unlikely to return to game action just yet, Carroll also offered a somewhat surprising update on tight end Greg Olsen, who has missed the past three games with a fascia tear in his foot. Now eligible to return from injured reserve, the 13-year veteran wants to practice this week, but it remains unclear if that will actually happen or not.

"He's challenging right now to practice this week, so we'll see what that means," Carroll remarked. "He's very, very positive and upbeat about the fact he has the chance to get back very soon. Maybe this week or next week. I don't know what to tell you until we see him."