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Four Seahawks Open 2015 Training Camp On Physically Unable To Perform (PUP) List

Pete Carroll provides updates on the status of Earl Thomas, Paul Richardson, Jeremy Lane, Tharold Simon, and more.

Free safety Earl Thomas, wide receiver Paul Richardson, and cornerbacks Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon opened the Seahawks' 2015 training camp on the team's physically unable to perform (PUP) list, barring them from participating in any on-field activity.

That was the word from Seattle head coach Pete Carroll on Friday following the team's first workout of the new season at Renton's Virginia Mason Athletic Center. It's important to remember that players are eligible to come off the PUP list and return to practice at any point during training camp, as opposed to if an individual holds the PUP designation heading into the regular season, when they would be forced to miss the first six weeks.

Carroll provided brief updates on the four individuals on PUP and also gave reports on the status of Brandon Mebane (hamstring), Robert Turbin (hip), Dion Bailey (non-football injury list), and Jesse Williams (non-football illness list).

Here's what the Seattle head coach had to say about his Seahawks players who are still on the mend.

Earl Thomas

Thomas injured his shoulder in the team's NFC Championship win over the Green Bay Packers this past January and played hurt through Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots. He had his shoulder surgically repaired this offseason and Carroll said the team will exercise caution bringing him back to full speed.

"We're going to be really patient," Carroll said. "We're going to not jump to decisions at all. He's worked really hard. He's making great progress. The timeline is just wait and see and see how long it takes for him to be really safe and secure before he goes out.

"He plays his game with such reckless abandon. He's got to be 100 percent ready to go and we're not going to jump the gun on that at all."

Paul Richardson

Richardson injured his ACL in the team's 2014 divisional-round playoff win over the Carolina Panthers. He's come back from a similar setback to the same knee before, having torn his ACL during a 2012 practice at Colorado. Carroll thinks that could give Richardson an edge with his current rehabilitation.

"Paul has had an extraordinary recovery," Carroll said of the team's first pick in last year's draft. "He's chomping at the bit to get out here. It's only five months or something [since the injury]. It's too soon. But he has a competitive approach to it. He's been through this before and done it beautifully to this point. We're going to assess each day and see where it goes and see how we can project that. So he is on PUP to return whenever we can pull him off it, whenever that is. I think that's best for his mindset to compete to get back."

Jeremy Lane

At the tail end of a Tom Brady interception return in February's Super Bowl, Lane suffered injuries to his arm and ACL. Carroll said he doesn't expect Lane to play in any preseason games this year, calling it a "longer haul" for the return of the fourth-year cornerback.

"He's got the knee thing, that's a much longer case," Carroll said. "He's still working on his arm thing, too. So he's got dual issues. It's going to be a while for him."

Tharold Simon

Simon, the Seahawks' 2013 fifth-round pick out of LSU, injured his shoulder during a win over the Arizona Cardinals last December. He missed the team's 2014 regular-season finale against the St. Louis Rams, but played through the injury in the playoffs.

"They've got a schedule for him that we're shooting for," said Carroll. "I don't know when to put it out to you right now, but we hope he'll play in the preseason."

Brandon Mebane

Mebane (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve this past November in the midst of what was one of his best seasons ever for the nine-year veteran who has spent his entire career in Seattle. According to Carroll, the 6-foot-1, 311-pound nose tackle was a full participant on the first day of training camp.

"Mebane practiced today and did the whole thing," said Carroll. "It's great to have him back. To have 'Banger back out with us is a great addition to our football team. He's been a stalwart guy for years and it was really hard playing without him last year, but the fact that he's back and he broke them down today, he's part of it. That's great news."

The players hit the field for the first day of 2015 SeahawksTraining Camp presented by Bing. 

Robert Turbin

This past May, the Seahawks announced Turbin underwent hip surgery with the expectation that he would be ready to go by the start of the 2015 season. The Seahawks' backup running back practiced on a limited basis during day one of camp.

"Right now with Robert we have to see him day after day, see how he recovers, how he takes it," Carroll said. "He's day-to-day right now and he looked very good today."

Dion Bailey

Bailey sounds like he might be the first player to rejoin the action on the field. Carroll said the second-year safety out of USC came into training camp with "a little hamstring thing" that may hold him out a few days.

"We're just making sure that he's OK," said Carroll. "He is on [the non-football injury list], but in that category that he can come back to us immediately. Maybe a week, or something."

Jesse Williams

Carroll said Williams will start the year on the non-football illness list after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this offseason. Williams has since had a kidney removed and returned to light workouts.

"This is remarkable that Jesse is this close at this time," said Carroll. "He's got to get in football shape. He missed two months of workout stuff, so he's got to get back in football shape and he'll have some more evaluations here soon. But there's a chance Jesse could make it back and play and it'll be remarkable if that happens. He's busting his tail to get that done and we're pulling for him every step of the way."

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