Seahawks LB K.J. Wright Ahead of Schedule, Expects to Play in Season Opener

Making significant progress after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, Wright plans to be back in action for Seattle in Week 1, regardless of whether the season starts on time or not.

After undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright told Sports Radio 950 KJR on Thursday that he's making substantial progress in his recovery and should be ready to play in Week 1.

“Health is good,” Wright said. “I’m ahead of schedule of where I need to be and if there’s a football season, I plan on being out there game one.”

Shortly after the draft, Seahawks general manager John Schneider broke the news about Wright's surgery in his own radio spot on 950 KJR. At the time, he sounded optimistic about the veteran's chances of making a speedy recovery.

“I’m not sure of the timeline on when he’s going to be back," Schneider commented. "Hopefully, he makes it back on time, and we’ll see how it goes. It’s just a weird offseason. I mean for everybody, but especially for guys that have had offseason surgery.”

Entering the final year of his contract, the soon-to-be 31-year old Wright enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career in 2019. Bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2018 campaign, he set career-highs in tackles (132), pass deflections (11), and interceptions (3) while starting all 16 games for Seattle.

While Wright may very well stay at weakside linebacker, the position he's manned for his first nine seasons, Schneider suggested with the arrival of first-round pick Jordyn Brooks that the veteran could transition to strongside linebacker.

“We’ll figure it out where K.J. goes,” Schneider said. “If he plays WILL or SAM or however those guys want to do it. They will figure it out. But everybody was really, really excited to put this guy [Brooks] on our football team.”

If getting Brooks on the field quickly remains a priority for the Seahawks, transitioning Wright to SAM linebacker at this stage of his career could make sense for both parties. Even if the former Mississippi State standout has lost a step athletically, his instincts and football savvy remain top-notch and the positional change would allow him to play near the line of scrimmage while blitzing more often.

The presence of Bruce Irvin, who re-signed with Seattle earlier in the offseason, could complicate those efforts. The former first-round pick told reporters last month that he would be playing SAM linebacker as he did during his first stint with the team.

As noted by coach Pete Carroll after April's draft, the Seahawks have a "really good situation" trying to sort out the linebacker group once the team returns to the field.

"We’re really not worried about it at all," Carroll remarked. "We love the versatility in our players. K.J. can play inside and outside, you saw [Cody] Barton play inside and outside and Bobby [Wagner] has really been the fixture inside. Everybody’s got flexibility. This is going to be something that’s really fun to figure out.”

With teams set to return to their facilities and training camp looking more and more likely to start on time as scheduled in July, Wright's status will be one to monitor closely in coming weeks. But based on his assessment, he's made tremendous strides in his rehab and should be ready to play wherever the Seahawks need him.