K.J. Wright hoping to return, for good, this week against Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers v Seattle Seahawks

RENTON -- After 11 games missed and a pair of setbacks with his injured knee, Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright is intent on making sure he'll be back for good when he returns to the field.

And that return may happen as soon as this Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wright was a limited participant for the third consecutive practice for Seattle dating back to the final two of last week.

"I felt good last week at practice, got out there and practiced. I'm going to practice again this week. Hopefully everything goes well and I'll be out there on Sunday," Wright said on Wednesday.

Wright has missed the last five games and 11 overall this season after a knee injury in the preseason required surgery.  Wright was going through pregame warm-ups in Minnesota when he felt his knee "give out." He played through that game but needed surgery afterward to address cartilage damage in his knee.

He missed the first six games of the year as a setback in his rehab process kept him out sidelined until after the team's bye week. A week after returning against the Detroit Lions, Wright again felt the knee flare up against the Los Angeles Chargers. He thought he could push through it a week later against the L.A. Rams only to learn rather quickly it wasn't going to go as planned.

"I thought by the time I got to the Rams game that I could play off of adrenaline and it just didn't work. It looked terrible. I had to come out," Wright said.

"I was playing on it. I played a lot of plays and that pain was still on the inside. It just wasn't ready. I had that first setback, then that second setback and this time it feels night and day better so it should be good to go this time."

Wright was away from the team two weeks ago to get some additional treatment on his knee that has helped him make a turn in his rehab process. Safety Bradley McDougald is away from the team this week for a similar reason as he tries to bounce back from a patella tendonitis issue that sidelined him against the San Francisco 49ers last week.

"I went and got my treatment. I went and got my special treatment and I just took some time. Took some time and I believe that special treatment really helped me out. It give me a big relief," Wright said.

Wright says he feels good and is hoping to return to action this week against the Chiefs. Additionally, he won't have to wear a brace on his knee this time around.

"When I do get back I will not have that big bulky knee brace on, so the knee brace will be off," Wright said. "It will definitely be feeling much better. I felt good last week at practice, got out there and practiced. I'm going to practice again this week. Hopefully everything goes well and I'll be out there on Sunday."

Said head coach Pete Carroll: "He’s practicing, so he’s ready to go today and we’ll just go one day at a time. Really excited about him getting the chance to get back out there, of course, and he looks so good on the field. He’s a monster out there so it’s great to see him and Bobby (Wagner) lining up together. We’ll see if we can carry that throughout the week."

Meanwhile, Wright said they will make sure to monitor it correctly when he does return so he's not forced out yet again.

"You've got to monitor it. You've got to. You've got to be smart when I do get back out there," he said. "The first time I did, I played 50 plays. We're going to be smart this time. We've got a good game plan going, ease it in the last two games, make the playoffs and kick it off from there."


Bobby Wagner, Michael Dickson named to Pro Bowl:

Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and rookie punter Michael Dickson were the two members of the Seahawks named to the Pro Bowl Tuesday evening.

Wagner was named to his fifth-straight Pro Bowl while Dickson became one of six rookies across the NFL to be named to the squad. Dickson is the first rookie punter to be named to the Pro Bowl since Los Angeles Rams punter Dale Hatcher in 1985. He's the first Seahawks punter to be named to the game since Rick Tuten in 1994.

"Something I pride myself on is consistency and to kind of be voted among your peers and the fans as one of those people who are consistent is amazing," Wagner said. "I’ve got to credit to my teammates and coaching staff and the guys up front that do their best to make sure I don’t get touched and allow me to run around and make plays. Without those guys, I wouldn’t be making the plays that I’ve been making. Even though this is an individual award, however I can share with my teammates, I’ll find a way."

The Seahawks also had seven players named as alternates for the game: quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Chris Carson, left guard J.R. Sweezy, defensive end Frank Clark, linebacker K.J. Wright, strong safety Bradley McDougald and Tyler Lockett as a kick/punt returner.

Dickson was the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November and leads the league in both gross average (48.9) and net average (44.2).

"That was one of my goals coming in here, was to have high standards for myself," Dickson said. Having a great coach and a great punt team covering my punts has definitely helped me achieve that.”

Seahawks add RB Bo Scarbrough, place Jordan Simmons on injured reserve:

A knee injury sustained by guard Jordan Simmons has brought his first season with the Seahawks to an end.

The Seahawks placed Simmons on injured reserve on Tuesday after he was injured in Sunday's overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Simmons had started three games at right guard in place of D.J. Fluker this season and been quite impressive in his chances. Seattle acquired Simmons in a waiver claim from the Oakland Raiders at the start of the regular season.

Scarbrough comes to Seattle off the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad. He was a seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in May. He did not make the roster coming out of training camp but was re-signed to the team's practice squad for the first month of the season. After being released by Dallas, he signed with Jacksonville in October.

That’s insurance for us right now," Carroll said. "We’re serious about running the football and this guy is a guy that gives us an attack mentality and a physical aspect of it in the event that maybe we are coming up short here. I think we realized it during the game last week when a couple guys got banged a couple of times and then all of a sudden, you’re down to your last running back. Those guys (Chris Carson and Mike Davis) were fine and all that, but it just reminded us of the sense of urgency."

Scarbrough had an impressive two seasons at the University of Alabama. Against the University of Washington in the 2016 Peach Bowl, he rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He said he had an option of joining the Jaguars active roster as well, but decided the Seahawks were a better opportunity for him.

"I thought that Seattle was a better fit for me, a better place for me, and I took the opportunities and I want to take advantage of it and thank God and Seattle for giving me the chance," Scarbrough said.


Injury Report:

Photo Credit: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 04:  Melvin Gordon III #28 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs with the ball while being tackled by K.J. Wright #50 of the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field on November 04, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)


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