RENTON -- Linebacker K.J. Wright and tight end Ed Dickson were both back on the practice field for the Seahawks on Monday as the team returned to work after their bye week.
Wright and Dickson have missed the first six weeks of the season due to injuries. Wright had surgery on his knee the final week of the preseason after feeling some discomfort in a game at Minnesota in the third week of August. Meanwhile, Dickson began the season on the non-football injury list due to an injury head coach Pete Carroll has called both a groin and quadriceps issue.
"They did fine," Carroll said. "I need to see the film to see it all. We limited them. They didn't take all of the work. They probably had a dozen competitive plays as well as all of the rest of stuff in practice. But enough to get them going and get them feeling a part of it. Really this is just kind of break the ice day for them. They've been working really hard so that this isn't a big jump for them."
Wright has been on Seattle's roster the whole time and can return to play as soon as he's healthy. Dickson remains on the NFI list and doesn't count against the team's 53-man roster. He can practice for up to three weeks before needing to be added to the active roster.
However, Dickson appears set to return to the lineup sooner than later.
"He's been running really hard so he should not feel like it's a big step for him to get back on the practice field and should play extensively on the weekend if he makes it through the week," Carroll said.
The Seahawks have used a number of options in trying to replace Wright over the first six games of the year. Rookie Shaquem Griffin started the season opener in Denver with Austin Calitro replacing him as Griffin struggled in his debut. The team signed Mychal Kendricks to take over for the next three weeks before the NFL imposed an indefinite suspension following his plea to insider trading charges.
Barkevious Mingo then took over the role during the team's win in London over the Oakland Raiders.
"(Wright) has been such a fixture for us. He adds so much," Carroll said of Wright's impending return.
Defensive end Rasheem Green and tight end Nick Vannett were both at practice as well on Monday. Green had missed the previous three games due to a high-ankle sprain. Vannett missed the London game due to a back injury.
The Seahawks claimed linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee off waivers from the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday as safety T.J. Green was moved to an exempt list with a "left squad" designation.
"He was ready to stop playing football," Carroll said of Green. "I don't know any more about it than that really. He was done playing ball."
Ellerbee was waived by the Chargers on Saturday ahead of their game in London against the Tennessee Titans yesterday. He appeared in three games for the Chargers this season, but did not record any statistics. Ellerbee signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of Rice University. He spent the offseason with the Falcons before being released during roster cuts. He was claimed by the Chargers the following day and spent the first six weeks of the season in Los Angeles.
"He looked good on film," Carroll said of Ellerbee. "We liked him through the (draft) process, the evaluations for the draft and just a chance to add another competitive guy and see where he fits in."
Carroll said Kendricks had a meeting with the league on Monday to determine his status moving forward in regard to the length of his suspension.
"There was a hearing today - and I don't know the results of the hearing - but there was a significant hearing today that has been scheduled all along," Carroll said. "We'll find out. I hope to hear something tomorrow through the commissioner (Roger Goodell). Would like to know what's going on."
Update on ownership situation following passing of Paul Allen:
The team continues to operate normally despite the passing of its owner of 21 years a week ago.
Carroll said that the team has been in contact with Bert Kolde, who is a Senior Director of Vulcan, Inc. which is the parent holding that runs the Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers.
"Bert has just assured us that everything is in order and everything is going to carry on as it has," Carroll said.
Carroll said that Kolde and Allen were the two people they had dealt with when it came to communicating with the ownership of the team.
"We have really good structure and really clear communications and we've only communicated with Bret and Paul so there's not like a big chain of command that we have to figure out," Carroll said.
While the organization will undergo some sort of change due to the death of Allen from non-Hodgkins lymphoma last Monday, there's nothing that appears to directly impact the day-to-day operations of the football team.
"We can carry on with the same intensity and expectations and support and all of that and that it was our job to really carry on in the fashion that Paul wanted us to and designed this to happen. We have that responsibility and everybody is excited about doing that for him," Carroll said.
No announcements have come yet from the team regarding plans to honor Allen for the rest of the season.
Photo Credit: SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 15: Andre Ellington #38 of the Arizona Cardinals is tackled by K.J. Wright #50 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of their game at CenturyLink Field on November 15, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)