Seattle Seahawks Must Exercise Caution Working Abraham Lucas Back From Injury

Plugging a healthy Abraham Lucas back into the starting lineup would be a game changer for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive line. But as echoed by coach Pete Carroll, the team can't be short-sighted as they try to work him back into the mix with a worrisome knee condition.

Back on the practice field Wednesday after being sidelined for two months by a knee issue, the Seattle Seahawks hope to see their offensive line return to full strength with starting right tackle Abraham Lucas on the mend.

However, while Lucas has progressed enough through his rehab to practice, Seattle isn't going to expedite the process of installing him back into the starting lineup either. As coach Pete Carroll acknowledged prior to Wednesday's practice, with a 21-day window now open that provides plenty of flexibility, the team needs to see how the second-year blocker's troublesome knee responds in coming days before considering when he may be ready to suit up for game action again.

“No. We just made it to the time where he can come to practice. Don’t know that yet," Carroll said when asked if Lucas had fully recovered from his injury. "He can’t rehab anymore to get ready, he’s ready to go. We’ve been very careful to do that properly and take our time, but we need to see how the rigors of the practice figures into it all and see how he bounces back. It’s been kind of a chronic thing; you have to make sure you’ve left it in the past. We’ll see what happens.”

As has been the case since Lucas exited early in the third quarter of the Seahawks season-opening loss to the Rams, the player's situation remains somewhat mysterious. At the time, Carroll suggested he wasn't injured and was dealing with recurring "patellar area soreness" that ultimately required an injection and a lengthy stay on injured reserve.

Back on Oct. 31, Carroll provided a somewhat spooky Halloween update on Lucas' status, admitting that the former Washington State standout still had discomfort in his knee. At the time, though the player was running and working out, the Seahawks were still trying to find ways to alleviate that discomfort and get him over the hump, a sign that he may still be several weeks away from returning to play or could even be at risk for missing the rest of the season.

Then on Wednesday, Carroll again used the dreaded chronic term to describe Lucas' condition, indicating Seattle would need to continue managing him carefully to ensure he's all the way back and not force the issue before he's truly ready. Reading between the lines, one could speculate his potential return rides partly on his ability to play through pain at less than 100 percent.

If there's a silver lining, however, the Seahawks have been able to stay afloat without Lucas thanks to Stone Forsythe and Jason Peters, who have performed admirably in his stead over the past several weeks. In particular, Peters turned back the clock last weekend against the Commanders in a vintage showing, giving up only one pressure in pass protection and dominating in the trenches as a punishing run blocker.

Erring on the side of caution with one of their best young players, the Seahawks have to be smart with Abraham Lucas and make sure he's truly ready to play after missing two months with a knee issue / © Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Looking towards Sunday's rematch against Los Angeles and beyond, Carroll has no hesitation rolling with Forsythe and/or Peters until Seattle deems Lucas ready to return to action, though the latter will have to be signed to the active roster to play again after exhausting his three practice squad elevations.

“It helps. It sure does. We’re not panicked by having to throw them back out there," Carroll remarked. "We can really make good clear decisions on taking care of him so that we can maximize his return once he gets there.”

For the Seahawks to give themselves the best shot at competing for an NFC West title and making noise in January, getting their offensive line back to full strength would provide a major boost. Impressing throughout his rookie season a year ago, Lucas has the talent to be a top-10 right tackle in the NFL when healthy and his return would undoubtedly elevate the entire front line for the second half stretch run.

With that said, Seattle doesn't want to jeopardize Lucas' future by pushing him back too quickly and can't afford to do so, especially considering his knee hasn't responded to treatment as favorably as hoped to this point. They need to use as much of their 21-day window as possible taking care of him and do their due diligence to make certain when they do activate him that he's ready to roll.

In the meantime, Forsythe and Peters should be able to hold down the fort for a few more weeks if necessary and have earned the trust of Carroll and the coaching staff with stellar play over the past few games. Once Lucas comes back, the team will have far better depth at the position than they did coming into the season and they may be able to ease the starter back in platooning him by series.

And, in the event Lucas has an unfortunate setback or can't make it back this season due to lingering knee issues, the Seahawks should be a bit more optimistic about their prospects being able to survive without him, at least in the short term.

Seattle Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in Win vs. Washington Commanders