Seahawks Training Camp 2018: News and notes from day 13

With just one day remaining until the Seattle Seahawks break training camp for 2018, they were dealt an unexpected blow. On Tuesday evening, news of Rashaad Penny’s injury broke.

The rookie running back is set to miss 3-4 weeks as he recovers from surgery on his finger, putting his return right up against the start of the regular season. Pete Carroll, speaking after practice on Wednesday, said Penny’s surgery went well and that he expects him to be ready for Week 1.

As practice was just about finished for the day, news of a roster move came via Adam Schefter:

Although the roster move is yet to be made official, with a full roster, a corresponding move will follow.

Practice Notes

• On the injury front, Dion Jordan, Ed Dickson and Clayton Wilson remain on the PUP list, where they have been since the first day of camp. They continue to be joined by a large group of players, including: Mike Davis, Neiko Thorpe, Marcus Smith, Trovon Reed, T.J. Mutcherson, J.R. Sweezy, Josh Forrest, Isaiah Battle, Jamarco Jones and Mike Tyson.
• However, the Seahawks also had a number of players return to practice on Wednesday. Byron Maxwell was limited as he returned from a groin injury that forced him to miss the preseason opener. Maurice Alexander returned from a hip flexor issue, while D.J. Alexander returned from an extended absence. C.J. Prosise was back after hurting his hip last Wednesday, although he was limited and did not take part in the scrimmage portion of practice. Finally, Amara Darboh was back at practice following a hip flexor issue that kept him out, as well.
• Interestingly, as Prosise made his return to practice on a limited basis, he was the second running back in, behind starter Chris Carson. Seattle was of course short on backs with both Davis and Penny out, but Prosise remaining ahead of J.D. McKissic in his return is something worth noting, as the 53-man roster gets more clear in the coming weeks.
• The Seahawks received another injury scare on Wednesday, as Tyler Lockett went down after landing awkwardly. The team gathered around him in a worrying moment, however Lockett returned to practice. Carroll said after the session that Lockett was kicked in the calf.
• The Tedric Thompson and Bradley McDougald partnership, disrupted by Maurice Alexander earlier in camp, remained the starting duo on Wednesday as Alexander returned. Barring any changes in Earl Thomas’s situation, Thompson and McDougald seem to be a lock to start Week 1 together.
• Staying in the secondary, UDFA Jason Hall received a large number of reps at free safety behind Thompson. Hall was originally signed by Seattle following the 2018 NFL Draft, however he was waived following the team’s rookie minicamp. Hall was brought back to the team on Sunday, being listed as a linebacker upon his return.
• Although Maxwell returned to practice on Wednesday on a limited basis, Tre Flowers remained the starter opposite Shaquill Griffin. Flowers was rotated with Dontae Johnson at times, who was playing on the second unit, opposite Akeem King.

We’ll end the notes from practice with this:

Pete Carroll’s Press Conference

• Naturally, Carroll’s presser opened with a question about what happened to Penny: “He was in a pass rush drill and caught his finger. He had surgery that worked out beautifully. It’s a couple weeks, he can already move it, he’s not going to be in a cast or any of that stuff. He’s in pretty good shape so we got a great report on it. He’s not going to be out very long at all.”
• Carroll was asked if he has seen enough of Penny to know his role, if he were to miss the remainder of the preseason: “I don’t have any doubt about what he’s capable of doing, I really don’t. We just got make sure he’s in great shape and let him play ball. He’s shown us all the instincts, his want-to is great, his learning ability is excellent. He’s applied himself in pass protection stuff, which he knew that was something he was going to have to work at. He’s already applied himself, he’ll get better at that in time. He’s not as good as he will be. But he’s carrying the football instinctively, how to catch it and run with it, we’ve seen plenty.”
• On D.J. Fluker’s progress from OTAs to camp and recovery from a knee injury that had him in a brace in the spring: “He’s right in there doing everything now. We were concerned with him, we weren’t sure because we treated him very carefully during the offseason, but he’s gotten into camp shape and he’s not missing anything now. I think he’s doing a beautiful job. He’s a different style player than we’ve had, as big as he is and as stout as he is. The fact he knows our system really well, he’s a vocal leader, he’s done a lot of really good stuff, and we’re really fired up that he now seems to be in shape, and he’s taking everyday’s work and dealing with it just fine.”
• Carroll was asked what he’s seen from Damore’ea Stringfellow: “He’s done a lot of good things. He’s got a real natural way of getting open and playing the football. He has a big catching range, he’s physical. Everything makes sense to him, he picks things up easily. He’s right in the middle of the competition. We’re really fired up about him. He was a total surprise, we didn’t know much about him. We weren’t sure what we were getting and he’s right in the middle of it all.”
• And on the receiver group in general: “It’s a diverse group, there’s different style players in this group. It’s probably the one I think about the most, because I’m trying to figure out who is going to fit in, who is going to compliment one another and all that. How I’m going to settle that is wait, just be patient and see how it goes. Get guys lots of opportunities, everyday we’re spotting guys in different places to make sure that they get their opportunities to show what they can do, so we can keep it as competitive as possible. All these guys are battling and doing good things.”
• Finally, on what he has seen from Branden Jackson: “Branden’s been really consistent, he’s been tough, he’s been versatile when he can play some different spots. He’s got a really good motor, he plays really hard. He’s a lot stronger than he was a year ago, more fit. He’s right in the rotation, he’s playing with a force and I like the fact that we have some flexibility with him too.”

The Seahawks return to practice on Thursday, at 10:15 AM, before going through a walk-through on Friday.