Seahawks rule out safety Thompson for game against Chiefs

By Bob Condotta / The Seattle Times

RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks have ruled out free safety Tedric Thompson for Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs with a chest situation discovered this week, and it remains unclear when he will return.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll, though, said he expects veteran safety Bradley McDougald to play after missing practice all week having been in the Bay Area, apparently to have a regenokine blood treatment to try to soothe what has become an especially troublesome knee injury of late. If so, that could mean McDougald teaming with Delano Hill at the safety spots, with Seattle also maybe having to use Shalom Luani against the Chiefs, who come into the game with one of the most explosive offenses in recent NFL history and are second in the league in passing.

Carroll also said both starting right guard D.J. Fluker (hamstring) and right tackle Germain Ifedi (groin) will be gametime decisions. Running back Rashaad Penny (knee) also remains a gametime decision.

However, Carroll said three other players officially listed as questionable — cornerback Shaquill Griffin (hip), snapper Tyler Ott (illness) and defensive tackle Jarran Reed (oblique/groin) — will play. And he confirmed that linebacker K.J. Wright, who has missed the last five games with a knee injury, will play.

Thompson played all 62 snaps last Sunday against the 49ers, but had an ailment discovered this week and Carroll said he cannot play until the team knows more.

“He’s got some swelling in there that’s of question, so we’re just making sure we are doing the right thing,” Carroll said of Thompson, who became the team’s starting free safety in the fifth game of the season after Earl Thomas was lost for the year. “Just some fluid in an unusual place. It’s not a life-threatening deal at all. It’s just, you can’t play with it so we’ve got to wait until it goes away.”

Carroll called it “kind of fortunate” that the team discovered the ailment while apparently examining Thompson’s shoulders.

“It’s going to take another week for us to check him out to see what is going on,” Carroll said of Thompson, a second-year player out of Colorado. “He’s not in any discomfort for what he’s got. It’s just something that they’ve found and so we’ve just got to take a look at it and give him some time for it to go away.”

McDougald sat out much of Sunday’s 26-23 loss to the 49ers, playing a season-low 12 snaps.

He was not back at at the VMAC by the time Carroll spoke to the media following practice Friday.

But Carroll said he expects McDougald to play.

“I can’t believe Bradley is not playing in this game,” Carroll said. “He has every intention of playing, he just had to miss the week for his treatments.”

Wright, who earlier this season had the same treatment as McDougald, said it’s not easy to return to play on the same week as having the treatment but said McDougald could do it.

Wright said his advice to McDougald would be”just get it all the way good and take your time and then come back. But it is possible.”

Carroll said Ifedi “tweaked his groin” in a drill on Thursday “so we just have to see what that means.”

Ifedi has not missed a snap, playing all 926 this year. His backup is listed as George Fant.

Fluker has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury and Carroll also said he’s a gametime decision.

“He’s trying to hold out hope for gameday recovery so we’ll see how that goes,” Carroll said.

Fluker was replaced last week by Jordan Simmons, who is now out for the year with a knee injury. Ethan Pocic filled in for Simmons but it’s unclear if he would be the starter there if Fluker has to miss a third straight game. Joey Hunt could also be an option.

While Griffin, Reed and Ott were all on the injury report, Carroll said all three will play — and Griffin was listed as a full participant in Friday’s practice. So that at least means the Seahawks will have their full fleet of cornerbacks ready to go even if the safety spot remains uncertain.

Penny sat out last week with a knee injury and Carroll said there remains a chance he can return Sunday.

“We are holding out hope that maybe on gameday he can do something,” Carroll said. “We will find out. He did a little bit of work today for the first time this week (officially listed as limited) and his recovery is going really well. It’s just whether it’s the right decision for him to go and if we can get enough information on gameday. He’s going to do some stuff tomorrow and we’ll know more.”

Wright said he will be on a pitch count but wants to play throughout the game. He said the goal is he would not play full games the next two weeks but would then be ready to go all the way should Seattle make the playoffs. Wright suffered a knee injury in the preseason that required surgery, then came back to play in three games before he continued to feel pain and was shelved, ultimately also having a regenokine treatment that he says helped the knee feel better.

Wright practiced on a limited basis all week and said after Friday’s practice it was “the best I’ve felt running around out there. No pain, just out there flying around, having a good ole time. So it just feels good to play healthy. Your mind is focused on other things versus your knee. So that’s good.”

For the Chiefs, receiver Sammy Watkins was ruled out with a foot injury and Spencer Ware listed as doubtful with a hamstring.

With Ware — who was a Seahawk draftee in 2013 — maybe out, the Chiefs will again rely more heavily on Damian Williams, who had 10 carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns a week ago Thursday against the Chargers as well as six receptions for 74 yards.

Cornerback Kendall Fuller, listed as questionable with a thumb injury, is expected to play.

Seattle can clinch a playoff spot with a win or losses by Washington and/or Minnesota (as well as a few other options involving ties and strength of victory tiebreakers). But Seattle cannot clinch a playoff spot with a loss, meaning a defeat to the Chiefs would make a regular season finale against the downtrodden Arizona Cardinals surprisingly suspenseful.