Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald Gives Unfavorable Update on Abraham Lucas

Still on the PUP list with the preseason finale coming up on Saturday, things aren't looking great for Abraham Lucas to return for Week 1 as hoped.

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

Dating back to OTAs in mid-May, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has maintained an optimistic tune about right tackle Abraham Lucas' recovery from knee surgery, first expecting him to return early in training camp and more recently believing he would be ready for Week 1.

However, with the preseason finale looming on Saturday and the start of the regular season now less than three weeks away, Lucas has yet to be activated from the PUP list. Based on Macdonald's unwillingness to provide any updates on his status after Monday's practice when asked if he thought the Seahawks would have him for the opener, the organization appears to be bracing for him to not be available for September 8 against the Broncos and potentially longer.

"Right now, probably don't want to answer that question," Macdonald responded.

Following a promising rookie season where he started 16 regular season games opposite of Charles Cross, Lucas exited Seattle's opener shortly after halftime with a sore knee and landed on injured reserve. He wound up missing 10 games before finally being activated in November, but the soreness persisted and with him playing well below 100 percent, he wasn't near as effective with a significantly lower pass protection efficiency rating and far less of an impact in the run game.

By the end of the season, Lucas sat out the finale with lingering knee problems, eventually leading to surgery in January. He missed Seattle's entire offseason program and though he could be seen running some off to the side during joint practices in Tennessee this week, he has yet to be activated, casting doubt about when he will be able to return.

The Seahawks did prepare for the possibility Lucas would wind up missing time early in the season by re-signing veteran George Fant in free agency, and the former Western Kentucky basketball star has taken the majority of reps at right tackle dating back to OTAs. Second-year blocker McClendon Curtis, who played guard most of the offseason, also has seen extensive action in Lucas' stead and started the past first two preseason games.

Considering the presence of Fant and Curtis, Macdonald seems to be pleased with the progress of Seattle's line despite Lucas' continued absence, noting growth even from joint practices to the second preseason game in Tennessee last week. With a right guard competition still heating up between rookie Christian Haynes and Anthony Bradford, he's eager to see what the group looks like a few weeks from now.

"I feel good. They are coming together," Macdonald said. "We're still battling it out there at guard. I think you've seen improvement especially in the last week from Wednesday to Thursday to Saturday so I'll expect that growth here over the next couple weeks."

Still, for the Seahawks to fully play to their potential on offense, they will need a healthy Lucas to return to the lineup as soon as possible. Being without him for more than a couple of games early in the schedule could be difficult to overcome even with Fant offering ample starting experience, and based on Macdonald's guarded comments on his recovery on Monday, the odds of that scenario becoming a reality look to be trending upward.

Ultimately, Seattle may be exercising the ultimate caution to ensure that when Lucas does return to action, he won't have any setbacks and can hit the ground running without fear of lingering knee problems. But if he doesn't make the strides needed in the next few weeks to get back on the field, the team may be facing a difficult decision with him currently on the PUP list, as not activating him at the start of the season would ensure that he has to miss at least the first four games per NFL rules.

If Lucas isn't able to play in Week 1 or the first couple games, the Seahawks could prevent that four-game absence by activating him from the PUP list and simply holding him out as a game day scratch until ready to suit up. With how things seem to be progressing behind schedule, that may be the best case scenario for the team and player at this point.