RENTON — Kenneth Walker jogged in waving lines. He jogged in straight lines.
He stopped and started. He shuffled his feet laterally, and jogged some more.
Is this side-field work Wednesday enough for the lead running back to return to practice this week from his oblique injury, and possibly play for the Seahawks (2-0) against the Miami Dolphins (1-1) Sunday at Lumen Field?
“Uhhh…we will see,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said.
Walker jogged about 40 yards at time for about 15 minutes on the practice field under the direction of a trainer Wednesday. He was wearing cleats on the grass but not pads or a helmet. He left the field just as his teammates, in first place in the NFC West through two weeks, started practice. He went inside with the trainer.
He did not practice. He did not all last week, before he missed Seattle’s win at New England.
Walker injured his oblique late in the team’s opening-game win over Denver Sept. 8. The third-year running back at the sport’s most injured position was Seattle’s star in week one. He romped for 103 yards against the Broncos, the seventh 100-yard rushing day of his career.
Zach Charbonnet started for the inactive Walker last weekend in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The second-round draft choice from UCLA in 2023 had 38 yards on 14 carries in the Seahawks’ 23-20 overtime win over the Patriots.
Throughout the game, Seattle’s offensive line failed to push back New England’s defensive front. So offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb largely abandoned his plan to run the ball. He left the game on the throwing arm of Geno Smith.
The 33-year-old quarterback responded with one of the best games of his three seasons as the Seahawks’ starter. Smith completed a career-high 33 passes in 44 throws for 327 yards to rally Seattle to a tie at the end of regulation and then the win.
Seven starters miss practice
Walker was one of seven starters that did not practice.
Wide receiver DK Metcalf has a hand injury.
Outside linebacker Boye Mafe, the team leader with two sacks through two games, missed practice with a knee issue.
Defensive end Leonard Williams and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu missed for the same issue.
Jerome Baker’s hamstring issue that took him out of the New England game in the first half kept him out of practice Wednesday.
K’Von Wallace, who played 13 snaps as a third safety in the defense against the Patriots, did not practice because of a shoulder issue.
Laken Tomlinson got a veteran’s day off.
Status of Uchenna Nwosu
The Seahawks allowed the Patriots to rush for 185 yards.
Having Nwosu back from a sprained knee would have helped. A lot.
The key outside linebacker who sets what Seattle largely lacked in New England, a strong edge against the run, remains out from the sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee he got Aug. 24 in the final preseason game.
“He’s doing well. He’s progressing well,” Macdonald said of Nwosu’s recovery.
The coach didn’t say anything about Nwosu possibly playing this week.
As for Mafe and Baker, Macdonald said of his other injured starting linebackers: “No updates.”
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