Seahawks Excited For Abraham Lucas' Return From 'Serious Injury'

While the Seahawks still aren't saying what procedure Abraham Lucas had done on his knee, he's finally back on the practice field after a long recovery.

September 18, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Abraham Lucas (72) during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Back on the practice field on Wednesday more than 10 months since he last suited up for the Seattle Seahawks, it has been a complicated road back for the veteran tackle recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Considering his lengthy layoff since undergoing the procedure in January, including missing Seattle's entire offseason program, training camp, and the first seven regular season games thus far, with him finally returning to practice after a long stint on the PUP list, coach Mike Macdonald made sure to start with the basics to slowly get Lucas back in the saddle again.

"I was joking with Abe, these are shoulder pads." Macdonald smiled. "Be good to see him out there. Get a new teammate out there."

While Macdonald obviously wasn't being serious, a helmet and shoulder pads might feel like foreign objects for Lucas, who has spent the last several months dating back to the start of OTAs watching on the sidelines as a bystander, unable to participate at all as the timeline for his return kept getting pushed back and pushed back.

Behind the scenes, as Macdonald has reiterated numerous times, Lucas has put in the work and then some to get back on the field as quickly as possible. Based on his Instagram posts, he has been able to sprint and lift weights without a brace since August, but strengthening the surgically-repaired knee to the point where he can play football again has been an enervating process with the finish line seemingly being moved further away at every turn.

Though Lucas didn't have any setbacks, per se, the rehabilitation timeline from what Macdonald called a "serious injury" without offering any other specifics simply lasted longer than initially anticipated and the Seahawks weren't about to rush through things with him after he missed 11 games last season with lingering knee problems. They wanted to ensure that when he did return to the field, he would be able to stay on the field to help his football team.

"Right when we got here, he's coming off getting it fixed, and so things are kind of in the air. Things might change and you're dealing with rehab timelines and people - it's hard, you're just going off educated decisions and making the best guesses you can," Macdonald explained. "I thought there was an opportunity when we first got going we could possibly have him at the beginning of the season and seems like the timeline got pushed back. I don't think it's anything he did that moved it back. I think it's one of those things where timelines get moved. There's strength with the leg with the ratios, all the smart people are telling me.

"So I think that's just what was going on. It gets a little frustrating when the timelines shift but that's just the nature of what we do."

Before knee issues derailed his sophomore campaign, Lucas started 16 out of 17 regular season games for Seattle as a rookie across from fellow 2022 draft pick Charles Cross. Though he allowed nine sacks, he only surrendered 28 pressures in those starts, according to Pro Football Focus, showing promise while posting a rock solid 96.9 percent pass block efficiency rating. He also made an impact as a physical run blocker, helping Ken Walker III rush for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season.

Without Lucas, however, the Seahawks have had a revolving door at right tackle over the past two seasons, starting five different players in his place during that span, including thrusting sixth-round pick Mike Jerrell into the lineup in last week's road win over the Falcons. Veteran George Fant, who the team signed in March as an insurance policy, lasted one quarter in the season opener before suffering his own knee injury.

Playing musical chairs with three different starters at right tackle this year alone, per PFF, 38.5 percent of the pressures on Geno Smith have come courtesy of the right tackle position, the second-highest mark in the league. Last year, with Lucas starting just six games and looking like a shell of himself when he did play due to his balky knee, the position allowed 37.3 percent of the pressures on Smith, easily the highest rate for any position on any team.

Throughout an arduous rehab, Lucas has maintained a positive attitude and been a supportive teammate, understanding that Seattle's training staff was looking out for his long-term health. Now, he's finally in a position where the finish line is in sight and back on the practice field, he can gradually accelerate his closing kick to sprint past the marker over the next few weeks with the goal of returning after the team's Week 10 bye.

Listed as limited on Wednesday, the Seahawks will ease Lucas back into a full practice workload during his 21-day window, sticking with the slow but steady approach they have employed from the start. Having witnessed him grind it out since arriving in February, assuming that he knows how to put his shoulder pads on, Macdonald can't wait to see him return to game action soon and provide a major boost for the offensive line heading into the second half of the season.

"If you take a step back with Abe, all the stuff he's been through over the last year, this guy has been working his tail off and it's not easy to be doing your own thing and training and strengthening a leg. This is a long grind back to where we sit today. I think he deserves a lot of credit to put himself in the situation to come back at this point in time. Should be really exciting to have him out there and doing his thing. We are going to ramp into it and be as smart as we can. I think we have a really good plan. Happy for him and excited to see him out there with the rest of the guys.

More Seahawks News

Seahawks Open Practice Window For Abraham Lucas, George Fant

Seahawks Analysis: How Does Ernest Jones Improve Mike Macdonald's Defense?

Seahawks Swap Jerome Baker, 2025 Pick for Titans' LB Ernest Jones IV