While tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Thomas Rawls are still expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, something head coach Pete Carroll noted to conclude Seattle's offseason workout program, the pair aren't likely to practice right away when training camp opens this Saturday, July 30 at Renton's Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
"No, we're going to be very, very careful with those guys," Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Thursday in a meeting with local reporters at team headquarters. "We're still trying to decide if we're going to place them on [the Physically Unable to Perform list]. If we're not, we're just going to be really careful with them. We're still working through that with our medical staff, our sports science staff."
It is important to note that the training camp PUP designation can be removed at any time before the start of the regular season, allowing that player to return to practice immediately. However, if a player remains on PUP when the regular season begins, they are required to miss the first six weeks. Thursday, Schneider affirmed what Carroll said earlier this offseason when asked if Graham and Rawls are on track to be ready for the team's Sept. 11 opener against the Miami Dolphins.
"They are, yeah," Schneider said. "That's what I understand."
Last year, injuries forced free safety Earl Thomas, wide receiver Paul Richardson, and cornerbacks Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon to open training camp on PUP. But Thomas was activated five days later and Simon later that preseason, leaving just Richardson and Lane on PUP to start 2015.
Graham, who is recovering from offseason surgery after suffering a knee injury in Seattle's Week 12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, was seen jogging on the field and catching light passes from quarterback Russell Wilson during the team's offseason workouts at VMAC. Rawls, meanwhile, is working his way back from an ankle he injured last season in a Week 14 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
"Rehab is going phenomenal," Rawls said at Richard Sherman's celebrity softball game earlier this month. "Running, cutting, working hard to get back out there. I'm looking forward to being out there the first week. Rehab has been going phenomenal this whole offseason. I didn't have a break because I've got to work 10 times harder. I'm excited to come back."
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