Pete Carroll met with the media on Thursday, Aug. 27, one day before the team is set to hit the road for their third preseason game of the year. Here's a few injury updates from the Seahawks head coach heading into Saturday's exhibition against the Chargers in San Diego, where kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT with national television coverage on CBS (channel 7 in Seattle).
- Linebacker Bruce Irvin, who was undergoing concussion protocol this week following a hit he took in last week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, will see snaps against the Chargers. "Yeah, he's back out," Carroll said. "He'll play in this game."
- Richard Sherman (hip), Will Blackmon (groin), and Marcus Burley (groin) are all expected to play at San Diego, adding much-needed depth to a Seattle secondary that was without 11 players last week.
- Tharold Simon (shoulder), who started the year on the team's physically unable to perform (PUP) list, is another cornerback who's expected to play this week. Carroll said Simon should compete for play time moving forward. "He hasn't had much of a chance yet, but we know him," Carroll said of the third-year cornerback. "He's a dominant, physical guy out there. He's the kind of guy we like, so he adds to our makeup. If he can get ready to play football and do a good job in the next couple weeks then that just makes us stronger and allows us some flexibility for matchups and things like that that we might be able to take advantage of."
- Earl Thomas came off the team's physically unable to perform list earlier this month but has still been participating in practice on a non-contact basis. Carroll reiterated the goal is to have the All-Pro free safety ready for the regular-season opener. "We're looking better. Earl got a lot of work this week. He's getting ready to be in shape to play for the opener. His timing is getting down, his calls, and you can see him fitting him. The intensity that he brings is starting to show up. That's important."
- Cornerback Mohammed Seisay, acquired earlier this month in a trade with the Detroit Lions, injured his groin in the preseason opener and missed last week's game against the Chiefs. His status for Saturday's game in San Diego is still to be determined. "I really liked him," Carroll said of what he saw from Seisay in training camp before he got hurt. "He looked the part physically. He ran well, made some plays early on. It's just a shame for him that he hasn't had a chance to show. He was making very, very good progress. I don't know if we'll get to play him this week or not, but next week will be a big week for him, of course."
- Defensive tackle Jesse Williams missed practice time this week dealing with an illness, but is expected to play this weekend. "Jesse was sick, so he missed a little bit of time here," Carroll said. "But he's back in action today and ready to play. I'm really anxious to see Jesse do his thing. Under the circumstances he's been involved with this is amazing that he's come through and he's working so hard and doing so well. He's got a chance to help us. We've always looked for the big steady dude to get in there in the combination of our rotation with us and he's got a chance to do that. He'll get a good chance again this week."
- Safety Ryan Murphy, who the Seahawks drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 draft out of Oregon State, has missed much of training camp and preseason with an ankle injury. Carroll said Murphy has a chance to play against the Chargers. "This is really important for Ryan," said Carroll. "He just has had limited opportunities to make sense of anything, so we're anxious to see if he can get out there and do some stuff, special teams as well. He looks like a good football player that we've just got to wait and see what happens."
- Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson suffered a high-ankle sprain in the preseason opener and is expected to return in time for next week's preseason finale. "The hope is that he can get back next week and get a little play time before we start it up," Carroll said.
- Wide receiver Chris Matthews, who sprained the AC joint in his shoulder in the preseason opener, returned to practice on Thursday. "He got out there today for the first time, so he looks like he's got a chance to make it back next week. He should be able to play next week for us."
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