Seahawks hope to have QB Russell Wilson and RB Chris Carson back against the Packers

Could both Russell Wilson and Chris Carson be back on the field when the Seahawks return from their bye Nov. 14 to play the Packers in Green Bay?

The eternally optimistic Pete Carroll didn’t rule it out during his weekly radio show Monday on ESPN 710 Seattle and later comments to media during his regular Monday news conference via Zoom.

Carroll said that Wilson is “going to be really close” to playing and that Carson hopes to return to practice next week when the team comes back from its bye.

And a significant step in the process of Wilson’s return occurred Monday as he had the pin removed from his surgically repaired finger.

Wilson had surgery Oct. 8 to repair a dislocation and ruptured tendon in his right middle finger suffered the night before in a loss to the Rams. The surgery included the implementation of a pin to stabilize the joint.

Wilson tweeted a picture of the removed pin Monday afternoon with the caption, “No more pin. Time to win.”

Carroll had told the media an hour before that he wasn’t sure when the pin was coming out but that once it did there would need to be a few days of healing before Wilson could begin workouts using the hand.

“I know that they said that there’s a couple of days just healing from taking it out,” Carroll said. “Russ has been doing everything he can do as far as making sure his hand strength is there and all of that. But there’s not a timeline that they said that, ‘It’s gonna take this many days before he throws this many balls,’ and that kind of stuff. We don’t know that.”

Carroll said Wilson doesn’t necessarily have to have the finger completely back to where it was before to play. But he also said the Seahawks won’t rush Wilson back if there is any danger of doing long-term harm.

“Your hand adapts, and he doesn’t need all of what it was for him to be effective,” Carroll said. “I know that because I’ve got a funky hand myself, my throwing hand. He’ll be able to adapt. We just need to see if it’s safe for him to do that long-term basis, if it’s the right thing to do. We’ll just figure it out.’’

Geno Smith has started the past three games in place of Wilson. But with Seattle facing a daunting duo of opponents following the bye in the Packers and Arizona (both 7-1), Seattle would undoubtedly welcome the return of Wilson as quickly as possible.

“We’ll hold out hope that he’s going to continue to bring this thing back and break records of all time on how you can get back from this,” Carroll said. “If anybody can do it, Russell will do it.”

Both Carson and Wilson are now eligible to return to practice off the injured reserve, having missed the required three games once they went on IR.

Carson has missed four games with a neck injury (he was not placed on IR until after he missed one game) and Wilson the past three with the finger injury.

The optimism Monday of the news on Carson seemed to contrast greatly with what Carroll said Friday, when he said he couldn’t say if Carson will return at any point this season. Carroll said Monday that if Carson passes a few tests when he returns next week he’ll be cleared to practice.

“He wants to go for it next week,” Carroll said. “And so he’s got to get back on Monday and check in with the docs and see where he is and show them that he’s OK. And then if he does, then he’ll start practicing. And so that’s when we’ll find out where he stands once we get to practice. He’s real determined to get that done, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him that he can get a chance to get back on the field and start working with us. That’s about as optimistic as we can be until we know more.”

The Seahawks have not detailed the exact nature of Carson’s injury. Carroll said again Monday that it is not the same as those that ended the careers of Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril.

“It’s a different condition that he’s dealing with,” Carroll said. “But when it’s a spinal issue, there is great concerns that we need to uphold and all of that and do it right and take care of him for the long haul. So that’s what we’re doing.”

Carroll has said Carson’s neck issue is something he has had for a while and was able to play through in the first four games this season.

Carson has 232 yards on 54 carries this season. He last played Oct. 3 in a win over the 49ers with 30 yards on 13 carries with Alex Collins starting the four games since.

D.J. Reed should be OK

Seattle suffered only one injury in Sunday’s 31-7 win over Jacksonville when cornerback D.J. Reed left in the fourth quarter with a groin injury.

Carroll said that an MRI on the injury was “clear” and that Reed “should be OK.”

“He’s had a little groin thing he’s kind of been nursing throughout,” Carroll said. “Not serious, but it seemed it was a concern in the game.”

Sidney Jones stepped in to play the right corner spot with Reed out alongside rookie Tre Brown on the left side. With the bye week, Carroll’s comments seem to indicate Reed might be back for the Green Bay game.

Seahawks monitoring trade deadline

The NFL trade deadline is 1 p.m. PT Tuesday. As of Monday afternoon, there were no reports linking the Seahawks to any specific move. And general manager John Schneider said during his regular appearance on the team’s pregame radio show Sunday that “this year seems pretty quiet, quite honestly.”

Carroll didn’t rule out a move being made.

“This is that time (of year) so it’s important for us to have all the information and see who’s available and listen to the calls that come in and all that,” Carroll said. “So John and his guys are real active on it. This is a really busy day for us in that regard. So you know, (there’s) nothing to note, as of course I wouldn’t anyway. But really, it’s important to see what the opportunities are.”