Bobby Wagner, D.J. Fluker return to practice. But now 40 percent of Seahawks’ O-line is injured

Bobby Wagner has returned.

To practice, anyway. And the Seahawks expect their All-Pro linebacker back in the middle of their defense Sunday, too, when they play their home opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

K.J. Wright may not be with him. The Pro Bowl outside linebacker remained out of practicing because of arthroscopic knee surgery more than three weeks ago.

“Bobby is practicing. K.J. is not,” coach Pete Carroll said before Wednesday’s workout.

Forty percent of the Seahawks’ starting offensive line that — along with quarterback Russell Wilson holding the ball — have allowed an NFL-high 12 sacks through two games, did not practice.

Justin Britt has a sore shoulder, Carroll said. The Pro Bowl alternate two seasons ago got hurt diving for the fumble Wilson lost on his sixth and final sack Monday night in the fourth quarter of the loss at Chicago.

“He’s day-to-day,” Carroll said. “We’ll see if he can play on the weekend. We’ll find out.”

The coach mentioned starting left guard Ethan Pocic, a college center at LSU before the Seahawks drafted him in the second round last year, and backup center Joey Hunt as the options to play center against Dallas if Britt can’t. It seems to be in that order of preference, too.

“So we’re good there,” Carroll said.

Except Pocic missed Wednesday’s practice while wearing a walking boot.

At least D.J. Fluker practiced for the first time since he strained his hamstring in the final preseason game Aug. 30. If the starting right guard plays as expected Sunday, J.R. Sweezy can move from right guard where he’s started the first two games for Fluker to left guard if Pocic can’t play. Or if Pocic needs to play center because Britt can’t.

Sweezy has played 75 career games, including two Super Bowls for Seattle at the end of the 2013 and ‘14 seasons, all at right guard. He practiced for about a week late last month at left guard, before moving back to the right side after Fluker got hurt.

Doug Baldwin missed another practice, though he was on the field wearing spikes for a change and doing stretching at the start of the workout.

It sounds like the Pro Bowl wide receiver’s sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee is going to keep him out multiple more games than the one he’s already missed.

“He had a good weekend. He’s real positive about it,” Carroll said. “But there’s nothing to say about him returning, at this point. He’s looking at it as every day he is trying to get well.”

Wagner was back on the practice field for the first time since he injured his hamstring 10 days earlier. That was while he played all 74 defensive snaps in the opener at Denver.

When asked if Carroll expects Wagner to play against the Cowboys the coach said succinctly and confidently: “Yes.”

How badly have the Seahawks missed him? Well, they are 0-2. They have the 28th-ranked defense in the NFL so far this season.

Austin Calitro started for Wagner Monday night in Chicago. It was the first time since Oct. 18, 2015, Seattle had someone other than Wagner at middle linebacker. Wright played for him that day against Carolina, when Wagner was out with a pectoral strain.

It’s not a stretch to think the Bears would not have scored their first touchdown Monday, their only one into the fourth quarter of what was a 10-3 game then, had Wagner been playing. At least not on Chicago’s touchdown play.

The final 3 yards of Chicago’s 96-yard drive on its first possession was shovel pass by quarterback Mitch Trubisky to tight end Trey Burton for the touchdown, after a play-action fake of a run off-tackle left. Calitro overran the shovel pass by 3 yards, fooled by the fake handoff. Wagner assuredly would have been standing in the shovel-pass hole at the line of scrimmage, waiting to hit Burton for no gain.

That’s the difference between a seventh-year veteran All-Pro and a second-year free agent.

Mychal Kendricks started for Wright in Chicago, and would again Sunday against Dallas. Carroll said the Seahawks have gotten word from the NFL it won’t decide Kendricks’ appeal of his league suspension for admitted insider training until at least after Sunday’s game.

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 3:55 PM.