RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks returned to practice Tuesday after a day off. Here's a rundown of observations.
10 a.m. PT -- For the first time this summer, running back Thomas Rawls is on the field practicing with his teammates. Rawls suffered a broken ankle with ligament damage in December and had offseason surgery. The Seahawks are going to proceed cautiously with him, but it's a positive sign that he's back on the field.
In other injury news, wide receiver Doug Baldwin is still sidelined after having had his leg stepped on last week. Jimmy Graham is on the edge of returning, coach Pete Carroll said, but the tight end is still out today. C.J. Prosise (hamstring) has not practiced yet this summer, and it sounds like Carroll has ruled him out for the first preseason game Saturday. Christine Michael, who missed Sunday's scrimmage with an illness, is back.
10:20 a.m. PT -- Rawls runs through warmups with his teammates and then joins the quarterbacks. He lines up in the backfield, sprints to the flat and makes a number of catches. Next he joins his offensive linemen who are doing positional drills.
Asked if he took the linemen out to steak dinners last year to show his appreciation, Rawls said, "All last year, I got the boys massages. I was an undrafted free agent so I didn’t have a lot of money, so a hundred dollar massages is fine for those big boys."
Rawls will be running behind at least three new starters this season. And the two remaining starters are at new positions.
10:34 a.m. PT -- As players split up into positional groups, Rawls walks over to a side field with a trainer. He has his helmet off and assumes his usual pre-snap running back stance. Rawls takes one step laterally and then sprints upfield for 10 yards before walking back. He runs through this routine several times, gradually increasing the length to what looks like 40 yards.
Next, Rawls lies on his stomach before popping up and taking off on a sprint.
"U Can't Touch This" blares from the speakers. It's worth noting that Rawls was not born when this song was originally released back in 1990.
Rawls lines up like a receiver and sprints 30 yards downfield. And finally, he hops on one foot, alternating sides and landing on his toes as he makes his way downfield.
After about 20 minutes, he hands the trainer his helmet and heads over to join his teammates. He's an observer for the rest of the session.
11:04 a.m. PT -- Tight end Brandon Williams continues to be a player to watch. He flashes nice hands near the sideline, making the grab during team drills.
Kam Chancellor (groin) is back at practice, but he doesn't participate fully, and Kelcie McCray fills in for him with the starters. Carroll raved about McCray after practice, and he could be the top backup at both safety spots.
The offensive line features the same combination we've seen for most of camp. From left to right: Garry Gilliam, Mark Glowinski, Justin Britt, Germain Ifedi and J'Marcus Webb. After practice, Carroll said Bradley Sowell is competing with Gilliam at left tackle. I'm not sure I believe him, but we'll see.
DeShawn Shead is the starting right cornerback, and he breaks up a pass intended for rookie Kenny Lawler.
Jahri Evans practiced at left guard with the third team. He's played right guard his whole career, but the coaches want to see if he can play both sides in the event that Evans serves a backup role.
11:17 a.m. PT -- During one-on-ones between the offensive line and defensive line, Michael Bennett shows once again why he might have the best and quickest hands of any pass-rusher in the game, winning his rep easily. Cliff Avril, who's often been unblockable at practice, gets held by Terry Poole.
Defensive tackle Brandin Bryant continues to impress. He has a good rep against Evans and then beats Mark Glowinski badly.
11:29 a.m. PT -- During a red zone team drill, 307-pound Jarran Reed loses his shoe and goes to the ground. From my angle, it looks like Carroll is the one who helps him up. The oldest coach in the league wasn't lying when he said he's feeling good at 65.
11:40 a.m. PT -- Wilson finds Kearse in the middle of the field for a nice gain. According to Football Outsiders' adjusted metrics, Wilson was the most accurate QB in the league last year. And since 2006, only Kurt Warner and Drew Brees have been more accurate.
Shead breaks up another pass intended for Lawler, and Jeremy Lane makes a tremendous play on a fade to Luke Willson. This group of Seahawks cornerbacks is impressive.
That's a wrap for today. The team returns to the field Wednesday morning.
