RENTON — It appears the Seattle Seahawks and strong safety Kam Chancellor have set aside their differences.
The Seahawks began their voluntary two-week conditioning program Monday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, and among those present was the man who created all kinds of angst last season with his lengthy holdout.
Chancellor sat out all of training camp, the preseason and the first two games of the regular season last year because of dissatisfaction with his contract. Chancellor eventually returned to the team without having his contract renegotiated, appearing in 11 games and being named to his fourth Pro Bowl.
But despite receiving no concessions with his holdout, Chancellor put out hints after the season ended that he remained committed to the Seahawks. That was confirmed Monday when he was pictured at the VMAC in photos posted on the Seahawks’ Twitter account.
Also among those pictured in the photos was tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham suffered a season-ending knee injury during Seattle’s Week 12 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, an injury that can be difficult to recover from. However, Graham has apparently improved enough to participate in the conditioning program.
Not pictured in the photos was defensive end Michael Bennett. Bennett has expressed dissatisfaction with his contract, saying he considered holding out right up until the start of last year’s training camp. Bennett changed agents this offseason.
The Seahawks also took the occasion of the start of the conditioning program to announce four players had signed free-agent tenders.
Chief among those signings was restricted free-agent center Patrick Lewis. Lewis took over as Seattle’s starting center midway through last season following the struggles of Drew Nowak, starting nine games. The insertion of Lewis into the starting lineup corresponded with the improvement in the play of the Seahawks’ offensive line, as it went from allowing 31 sacks during the first seven games of the season to allowing just 15 over the final nine.
The other three signings involved exclusive-rights free agents, who once tendered by the Seahawks were not allowed to sign with other teams. Those included tight end Cooper Helfet, safety Steven Terrell and cornerback Mohammed Seisay. Helfet was Seattle’s third-string tight end last season, Terrell was a regular on special teams, and Seisay spent the season on injured reserve because of a dislocated shoulder.
The Seahawks also officially announced the signing of free-agent cornerback Brandon Browner. Browner, an original member of the Legion of Boom from 2011-13, already had agreed to terms with Seattle. He spent last season with the New Orleans Saints before being waived in March.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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