RENTON – The Seattle Seahawks opened training camp on Wednesday under the clear skies of a sun-drenched Pacific Northwest summer afternoon and the usual abundant optimism that flows freely at this stage of the NFL calendar.

Macdonald: Nwosu ‘not necessarily close’ to returning for Seahawks

What stood out from Day 1 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center? Here are some news and notes.

The latest on Nwosu

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu is “not necessarily close” to returning to practice as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.

The 28-year-old Nwosu was placed on the physically unable to perform list last week and spent Wednesday’s practice watching from the sidelines.

“We’ll see,” Macdonald said when asked about Nwosu’s timeline to return. “We’ll see. We’re going into the season probably – throughout the rest of camp and then we’ll go from there. … We’ll just hold onto the timeline right now. But we’re not necessarily close.”

For the full story on Nwosu’s status, click here.

Hankins headed to NFI list

Macdonald said the Seahawks are placing 33-year-old nose tackle Johnathan Hankins on the non-football injury list due to a back issue.

“Long-term, I think he’s gonna be fine, but working through it,” Macdonald said. “Hank’s a vet, he’s a 12-year guy. We’re taking our time with it, so we’re not in a hurry.”

Walker back in action

After being limited in spring practices with an ankle injury, running back Kenneth Walker III was a full participant on Wednesday and showed some nice burst on several runs.

Walker’s production took a step back last season while missing six games due to injuries, including the final two contests with an ankle issue. The former second-round pick, who’s entering a pivotal final year of his rookie deal, will look to bounce back this fall in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s wide-zone blocking scheme.

“He looks great,” Macdonald said. “He’s in a great spot mentally. It’s just awesome seeing him do all the things that we wanted him to do from the get-go. So I know he’s really excited about what’s going on. Great first day with Ken.”

Horton back and ‘right in the mix’

Rookie fifth-round wide receiver Tory Horton appeared to be a full participant on Wednesday after being limited this spring while recovering from knee surgery.

That included some work early in practice as a punt returner alongside veteran return specialist Stevens Sims.

Horton was regarded by some as a potential late-round steal in April’s draft. Prior to the knee injury that disrupted his final college season, he posted back-to-back 1,100-yard receiving campaigns at Colorado State in 2022 and 2023. He also had three-punt return touchdowns over his three seasons with the Rams.

“We have a plan to bring him back full speed, but when he’s out there, he’s full-go,” Macdonald said. “We’re just kind of managing his reps right now. But he’s doing a great job and he’s right in the mix.”

Brady Russell’s role

Third-year pro Brady Russell, who was in the process of converting from tight end to fullback this offseason, got reps at both positions on Wednesday.

Russell spent the spring working at fullback, where he’s competing with rookie fifth-round pick Robbie Ouzts. But after the Seahawks released veteran tight end Noah Fant on Sunday, it appears Russell is back in the mix at his old position – in addition to his new one. With Fant gone, Russell would now likely be fourth on the tight end depth chart behind AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo and Eric Saubert.

“I think what Brady brings to the table is he can do fullback stuff, and he can do tight end stuff, and so that makes you just more multiple on offense and how you can formation stuff,” Macdonald said. “So whether or not Noah was here or not, that’s what Brady brings to the table.”

More mixing and matching on O-line

Similar to this spring, the Seahawks continued to mix and match along the offensive line – a unit that will feature two of the most anticipated position battles of camp.

Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell continued to split the first-team reps at center, while Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes split most of the first-team reps at right guard. In addition, Haynes also took some reps at center and Sundell logged some snaps at right guard.

Left tackle Charles Cross, rookie left guard Grey Zabel and right tackle Abraham Lucas are the presumptive starters at the other three spots.

Macdonald said the mixing and matching will probably continue into next week after they start practicing in pads.

“Right now, we’re kind of in a ramp phase, an execution phase,” Macdonald said. “We’re not really physically competing, so some of that evaluation’s going to take time.

“So when you get into pads and start doing more situational work, … all those battles will be able to show themselves and declare themselves.”

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