Seahawks activate Abe Lucas from PUP; DK Metcalf returns to practice

article

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 25: Abraham Lucas #72 of the Seattle Seahawks in action against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Lumen Field on September 25, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks activated tackle Abraham Lucas from the physically unable to perform list and saw wide receiver DK Metcalf return to practice on Wednesday.

Lucas needed to be activated from the PUP list as his 21-day practice window had run out. If he hadn't been placed back on the active roster, he would have become ineligible to play the rest of the season.

Head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday that it's a reasonable expectation for Lucas to make his season debut Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

"I think that the best version of Abe is going to give us the best version of our offensive line," Macdonald said. "We want to make sure that he's ready to go, but from what I saw today, it looked really good. He looked good last week. There's a timeline here that we're kind of abiding by and there are certain milestones and hurdles you need to cross in order for him to play his best ball. So, hopefully, that's this week."

Seattle's offensive line has been a significant problem area for the team this season as the struggles up front have served to undermine the unit as a whole.

Macdonald is hopeful the return of Lucas to the lineup will help improve the play of the line overall with another veteran working alongside second-year right guard Anthony Bradford.

"I mean the right guard spot is what it is at this point. I mean AB (Anthony Bradford) will still be starting right now. I think we can do some things schematically to alleviate some pressure on those guys. So it's a team effort on that front, but I think we haven't made a change right now, but we expect those guys to keep improving. But like we've shown, we're willing to shake it up if we need to."

Lucas was injured in the season opener last year against the Los Angeles Rams and missed the next 10 games. Lucas returned to play five more games before leaving the team's Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He'd also miss the final game of the year against the Arizona Cardinals before having surgery this offseason.

The team placed George Fant on injured reserve to open a roster spot for Lucas. Macdonald said they don't know if Fant will be able to return to the team this season. He's played just 30 snaps over two games with the team as his knee injuries have kept him on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Metcalf has been out since the team's last victory over the Atlanta Falcons with a knee injury of his own. He did not practice at all in the two weeks leading into the team's bye week last week.

Metcalf said it wasn't difficult to miss the games because he knew he wasn't positioned to help.

"It wasn't tough at all," he said. "I wasn't 100 percent and I knew I couldn't go out there and be the best version of myself just for myself and the team."

Metcalf said that he didn't initially realize he'd hurt his knee when the play itself happened. His knee whipped awkwardly as he landed hard along the sidelines. It wasn't until he ran to celebrate Derick Hall's fumble return touchdown that he realized something wasn't right.

He didn't say whether he expected to play yet this week or not, but fully participating in Wednesday's practice is a positive sign.

Tight ends Noah Fant (groin) and Brady Russell (foot), defensive end Leonard Williams (foot), and center Connor Williams (personal) did not practice on Wednesday.

Lucas and linebacker Boye Mafe (knee) were limited.

Injury Report: