The Seahawks are hosting the NFL's No. 1 scoring offense with the Philadelphia Eagles coming to town, so it was good news for Seattle's defense when head coach Pete Carroll confirmed Friday that All-Pro free safety Earl Thomas is ready to go despite being listed as questionable on the injury report.
Thomas showed up on Seattle's injury report Thursday with a heel injury that kept him out of practice, but he was a full participant on Friday, and Carroll said that day off was more precautionary than anything.
"He's fine," Carroll said. "He had something we just tended to yesterday, a sore foot, and that was it. Not a big deal."
The rest of Seattle's questionable list also looks ready to go—as a reminder, the league removed probable as a designation last year, which means any uncertainty at all about a player's ability requires him to be listed as questionable, as opposed to its prior meaning of a 50-50 chance to play.
That includes linebacker Bobby Wagner, left tackle Duane Brown, tight end Jimmy Graham and linebacker/special teams standout D.J. Alexander, all of whom practiced Friday after being held out the previous two days. Alexander was a limited participant, while the rest were full participants in practice.
Brown getting some work alongside left guard Luke Joeckel, who returned last week from a five-game absence, should help aid the growth of a line that has already shown some improvement in recent weeks.
"He did considerably more this week than he has done in the last couple of weeks," Carroll said. "So he's really on it and ready to go. It was great to see him really get some practice time with Luke, legit practice time. Not all of it, but he got enough that it's going to make a difference. We have the opportunity to improve our play up front and keep getting better. We have been improving as we've been going here, particularly in the pass protection stuff, and we're hoping we can keep making that move. It's only natural that that should happen.
Two players who missed last week's game, running back Mike Davis (groin) and cornerback Shaquill Griffin (concussion) were not on the final injury report, nor was tight end Luke Willson, who left last week's game with a concussion, meaning all are ready to go Sunday.
"Everybody had really good weeks," Carroll said of that trio. "Those guys are all in good shape and ready to go."
Two defensive linemen, however, are unlikely to go, with Dion Jordan and Nazair Jones listed as doubtful.
On Jones, Carroll said the rookie, "turned his ankle yesterday in practice, and we're not sure how that's going to respond. He just stepped on a guy's foot. We'll see what happens; can't tell you yet."
Jordan is likely to miss a second straight game with a neck injury.
"He's doubtful going in, and I don't think anything can change to elevate him from that," Carroll said. "It's going to take another week, I think."
If Jones is indeed out, that would mean defensive tackle Rodney Coe would likely see significant playing time after being promoted off the practice squad earlier this week.
"He's really stout," Carroll said. "He caught our eye early on this offseason. He's physical and tough, and it's really hard to move him. He's got his own way about it; we always like that uniqueness, and he's got some."
Carroll also said cornerback DeShawn Shead, who is on the physically unable to perform list, continues to close in on a return to practice.
"He had a great week, in fact," Carroll said. "He had a great week and looked really good. The question is when do we bring him back to practice now, he's that close."
Here are the injury reports for both teams:
Seattle Seahawks
Out
S Kam Chancellor (neck)
G Oday Aboushi (shoulder)
LB Josh Forrest (foot)
Doubtful
DE Dion Jordan (neck, did not participate in practice)
DT Nazair Jones (ankle, did not participate in practice)
Questionable
T Duane Brown (ankle, full participation in practice)
TE Jimmy Graham (ankle, full participation in practice)
LB D.J. Alexander (shoulder, limited participation in practice)
LB Bobby Wagner (hamstring, full participation in practice)
S Earl Thomas (heel, full participation in practice)
Philadelphia Eagles
Questionable
LB Joe Walker (neck, did not participate in practice)
