Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said it remains unclear if Kam Chancellor will make it back this week after suffering a stinger against Arizona Thursday. But he said Earl Thomas should return.
As Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman has surgery this week to repair a season-ending Achilles injury the team is still awaiting word on whether safety Kam Chancellor will be available Monday against Atlanta while hopeful that free safety Earl Thomas will return.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said during his regular Monday radio show on ESPN 710 Seattle that the team is still waiting to find out the results of tests on a stinger suffered by Chancellor late in Thursday’s 22-16 win over Arizona.
“We’ll find out,’’ Carroll said when asked about Chancellor’s availability against Atlanta. “We don’t know yet. He had a stinger thing that happened during the game, we have to make sure that he’s okay. Don’t know right now. He’s going to get some tests and make sure. This is stuff that is just so critical we do a really good job and take our time with it and all that. We’re doing that. ‘’
Carroll, though, said that Thomas — who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury —- should be back.
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“I really do,’’ Carroll said. “I think he will make it back. He felt like he probably could have played had he gotten a couple of days of practice. It worked out great, we made it through the game, Bradley (McDougald) did a great job filling in for him and so he should be back. He has to make it through the days (of practice) … I think he’ll be just fine.’’
If Chancellor can’t play the assumption is that McDougald would move to strong safety to start there alongside Thomas.
As for Sherman, Carroll said he will have surgery this week.
Asked if playing on Thursday night contributed to Sherman’s injury Carroll said he couldn’t say.
But he elaborated on what Sherman said Thursday that Sherman had been battling an Achilles injury for a while.
“Richard has had this Achilles thing going on a long time,’’ Carroll said. “I think the second side came back and acted up here in the last few weeks. But he had been dealing with it here for a long time.’’
As for how the Seahawks will replace Sherman, Carroll confirmed the team is bringing in former Seahawks Byron Maxwell and Trovon Reed for tryouts – Maxwell is in town now — but said nothing had happened yet.
Seattle has also been holding out hope that DeShawn Shead, who suffered an ACL injury in the divisional playoffs last January against Atlanta, could make it back this year. But Carroll sounded somewhat pessimistic when asked about Shead.
“He’s at a bit of a plateau now that he’s trying to get through and over,’’ Carroll said. “And that just remains to be seen. He is doing everything he possibly can. … he’s in great shape. He can run forever. He can do everything, but he’s just not quite back yet fully yet where he has all the movement and extension that he needs. So until that’s safe he’s still working at it.’’
Shead is on the Physically Unable to Perform list and the team would have to activate him for practice by next week at the latest (Nov. 21 to be exact). He could then practice for up to three weeks before the team would have to make a decision on if he can return to play this year or put him on Injured Reserve.
Here are some other injury updates provided by Carroll:
— Carroll said it was still unclear if left tackle Duane Brown, who left the game in the first half with an ankle injury, will be able to play. “We’ll find out,’’ he said. “Don’t know. You saw it, that was a pretty dangerous situation right there. Take one day at a time here to kind of assess how he does. Hopefully he’ll practice a little bit this week and have a chance. We don’t know that yet. We just have to wait and see.’’
— Carroll said left guard Luke Joeckel could be back “maybe in a week, maybe he comes back this week.’’ Carroll said when Joeckel does return they’ll need to “see what that would mean with (Ethan) Pocic’’ who has been playing left guard with Joeckel out.
— Carroll also said there’s a chance that running back Chris Carson, who had ankle surgery in early October, could return this season. Carroll had said that at the time, as well, and said on Monday that Carson is having a good recovery and might make it back. “He has a chance to make it back,’’ Carroll said. “He’s doing remarkably well in his rehab.’’
— Carroll said he didn’t know if C.J. Prosise, who sprained his other ankle on Thursday, could make it back this week.
— Carroll, when asked about defensive end Cliff Avril and if there is anything new on his situation, hesitated and said “nothing to report.’’
— Carroll was not asked about other injured players such as defensive tackle Jarran Reed.