Wilson will not play in Seahawks’ preseason opener Thursday

By Gregg Bell / The News Tribune

RENTON — Fans already paying regular-season rates for preseason games are going to get even less value in the Seattle Seahawks’ first exhibition.

Russell Wilson will not play in it.

Coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that his franchise quarterback will not play in a preseason opener for the first time in his eight-year NFL career. The Seahawks want to get long looks at backups Geno Smith then Paxton Lynch during Thursday night’s game against the Denver Broncos at CenturyLink Field.

Smith, the former starter with the New York Jets and New York Giants whom Seattle signed this offseason, did not practice Tuesday. He had his left knee taped.

He returned, however, for Wednesday’s short, walk-through practice.

“He’s got an issue that we are dealing with and that we are going to attend to after (Thursday’s) game,” Carroll said. “He’s going to play in the game. He is going to start the game …

“We’ll fix him up after that.”

Carroll said that “fix” should repair Smith well enough that he is able to play in Seattle’s second preseason game, 10 days later at Minnesota.

Wilson has not played the past two summers in the fourth and final preseason game, which are throwaways for most veteran starters. He is not playing Thursday as part of a renewed emphasis by Carroll and his coaching staff to focus more on younger players and backups in the first preseason game. Carroll said some of those younger players will mix into altered starting lineups against Denver.

“A little bit of a different emphasis in that, yeah, he’s not starting,” Carroll said of Wilson, who signed a record $140 million contract in April.

“I think, more than ever, we have a lot of guys who are new to play. We’ve got a big competition at our quarterback position, in particular. We want them to play as much as they can, to play their way into those spots. I don’t want this to be a decision we have to make without a lot of great information …

“There’s a lot of competition at the receiver spot, a lot of competition on the offensive line. We are going to be able to play a lot of guys in this game.”

Carroll said the decision to keep Wilson out of Thursday’s game is partly because of the experience Seattle now has behind him at quarterback; Lynch is a former first-round pick by the Broncos who failed as a starter in Denver.

“It has to do with other guys playing and not playing, as well,” Carroll said.

That means, expect different starting offensive linemen Thursday, too. Don’t be surprised to see Jamarco Jones, last year’s fifth-round pick, at left tackle to rest veteran starter Duane Brown. Or center Justin Britt taking the night off and Joey Hunt starting.

Other candidates to start: rookie middle linebacker Cody Barton, while Bobby Wagner recovers from a knee-injection therapy, rookie second-round pick Marquise Blair at strong safety to perhaps rest Bradley McDougald, Shaquem Griffin at weakside linebacker for veteran K.J. Wright, the longest-tenured Seahawk.

Carroll said DK Metcalf will play. The rookie wide receiver and second-round pick missed Saturday’s scrimmage and Monday’s practice following a strained oblique. Then he wowed in scrimmages on Tuesday in his return.

Tight end Ed Dickson had knee surgery. Carroll said the 32-year-old, 10-year veteran is on track for a four-to-five week recovery. That would put his return around the start of the regular season, if he lasts that long on Seattle’s roster.

Will Dissly will not play Thursday. Carroll said the second-year tight end from the University of Washington is “way ahead of schedule” in his recovery from surgery last fall to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his knee, and Dissly’s long runs and catches past starting defensive backs this week showed that. But the Seahawks are holding Dissly out of the game against Denver out of precaution.

C.J. Prosise did not practice for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. Carroll said the running back trying to win a pass-catching role on third downs has a first-degree hip sprain. Prosise will not play Thursday.

“C.J. came up with … he’s got a little hip thing that’s tweaked,” Carroll said. “He’s got a little first-degree sprain that we have to acknowledge and take care of him, unfortunately. You know, we’ve been waiting for ‘Ceej’ for a long time. Unfortunately, he came up with a little something that’s going to keep him out of this game.”

Rookie running back Travis Homer will not play because of a quadriceps injury. Running back J.D. McKissic may not play because of “a sore foot,” Carroll said. McKissic will be a pregame decision after warmups.

That left Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and Bo Scarbrough as the only healthy tailbacks for the preseason opener as of Wednesday afternoon. And the Seahawks are unlikely to give Carson, returning from offseason knee surgery, and Penny many carries Thursday.

So later Wednesday they signed rookie free-agent running back Xavier Turner from Tarleton State. Arizona waived him last week. Turner is likely to share the bulk of carries Thursday with Scarbrough, the former plow-horse back at Alabama.

To make room on the 90-man preseason roster for Turner, Seattle waived/injured undrafted rookie cornerback Davante Davis from Texas.

Lano Hill, another candidate to start at strong safety, will not play but Carroll said he is progressing well in his return from a cracked hip at the end of last season. He said the three practices the Seahawks have next week and then the following week, before the third preseason game, will be big for Hill to prove he is ready to play. Carroll said Hill, listed at 216 pounds, lost 20 pounds while recovering from his injury.

“He’s had to work his way back up,” the coach said. “He looks in beautiful shape right now. He’s looked great the last couple days… That’s a real important player for us to figure in the competition.”