The status of Russell Wilson’s repaired finger, return to Seahawks? No news, fluid process
What is going on with Russell Wilson’s progress from finger surgery?
Nothing, Pete Carroll says.
The Seahawks’ coach was asked Wednesday: “Is there anything new on Russell? There had been a report (by NFL Network Saturday) he was going to have the pin taking out of his finger this week?”
“His report?” Carroll said, looking over a local journalist who had asked Carroll Saturday about that report, by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Wilson was having the pin removed “within the next week.”
A surgeon in Los Angeles put the pin in the quarterback’s dislocated middle finger with a torn tendon on his passing hand Oct. 7.
“He took a shot at it a couple days ago,” Carroll said of the local reporter.
“But, no.
“Sorry.”
That infers no progress — at least not yet, the week still has until Saturday — toward Wilson being able to play again.
No one with the team or Wilson knows when he will be healed enough to return, and there is nothing new, nothing happening right now, a league source told The News Tribune Wednesday.
A finger specialist will determine that time. For now the recovery schedule remains uncertain.
Per NFL rules Wilson will miss a minimum of three games, after the Seahawks put him on injured reserve Oct. 8.
Wilson has missed Seattle’s overtime loss at Pittsburgh and its home loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. He will watch Geno Smith again play for him Sunday when the Seahawks (2-5) try to keep their season afloat against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5).
Wilson had started 165 consecutive regular-season and playoff games to begin his career, the sixth-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history. The streak went from the first game of his rookie season of 2012 to the Steelers game two weeks ago.
The Seahawks have their bye Nov. 7 following this weekend’s game against the Jaguars. The first game Wilson would be eligible to play is Nov. 14 at Green Bay.
Presumably, the pin needs to be out of Wilson’s repaired finger before he can throw consistently and play. So news of the pin getting removed is an incremental step toward his return off IR.
The quarterback continues to run on the side, at the other end of the practice field, maintaining his conditioning while Smith and the rest of the active Seahawks prepare for games each day. While in his conditioning work and watching practices, Wilson wears the card of plays on his wrist that Smith also is wearing each week, for each game plan.
Carroll has refused to answer numerous questions, almost by the day since Wilson’s surgery, about any timeline on the quarterback’s possible return. The team undoubtedly has am educated guess. The coach isn’t sharing that, not publicly, anyway.
But pinpointing an exact return week remains difficult in what the league source told the TNT is a “fluid,” far-from-straightforward healing process.
The Seahawks have to go 7-3 in their final 10 games to finish the regular season with a winning, 9-8 record to have any likelihood of a playoff berth.
One QB released
Seattle released one of its quarterbacks from its practice squad Wednesday: Danny Etling.
The team signed back center Brad Lundblade to the practice squad.
Releasing Etling leaves the Seahawks with Smith and recent waiver claim Jacob Eason, the former University of Washington quarterback from Lake Stevens, at the passers on the active roster. Jake Luton from Oregon State and Marysville is on the practice squad. He has been promoted to the roster to backup Smith for two games. Per NFL rules, he must be signed to the active roster to be a backup for a third game.
Pocic starting at center?
The Seahawks may have a new center for Smith on Sunday.
Carroll said Ethan Pocic “deserves to play” now that he’s well back off injured reserve. The 2020 starter got hurt in training camp and did not compete as expected with Kyle Fuller for the job.
Fuller has struggled along with the rest of the offensive line in starting the first seven games.
Carroll indicated Pocic will play against Jacksonville.
He wouldn’t answer whether Pocic or Fuller will start against the Jaguars.
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 2:24 PM.
