QB Wilson ‘making progress’ in recovery from finger surgery

RENTON, WASH. — Russell Wilson put on his usual No. 3 red nocontact practice jersey Thursday and headed out to the field at the VMAC in Renton along with the rest of his teammates.

Only, unlike last week, Wilson this time had to go to a side field by himself to get in a workout while the rest of the team practised together.

That will be Wilson’s fate through at least next week after the National Football League team put him on injured reserve last Friday, meaning he has to miss Monday’s game against the New Orleans Saints and the following Sunday against Jacksonville. Being on IR means Wilson cannot practise with the rest of the team, as he could do last week before going on IR.

But Wilson, who suffered a ruptured tendon and a dislocation in his middle right finger Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Rams, is eligible to return after the team’s bye for a Nov. 14 game at Green Bay.

Will he?

Coach Pete Carroll said Thursday the team still has no definitive target date for a return for Wilson.

“We’re not calling it,” Carroll said. “We’ve got to wait and see.”

Asked how realistic it is Wilson could return for the Green Bay game, Carroll said: “I don’t know. We don’t know that. The doctors can’t tell you that. And Russ can’t tell you that.”

But, Carroll said, “Russ is making progress. He’s definitely making progress.”

And Wilson’s task for now remains to stay in the best shape he can until he is able to again grip and throw a ball and realistically return to action. Hence, the workout on the side field Thursday, and workouts such as the one Sunday before the game at Pittsburgh when Wilson went through what Carroll said were roughly 200 plays by himself, moving up and down the field as if calling an actual game.

“It’s hard on him,” Carroll said. “He wants to be out there so bad. So he’s going to continue to really condition hard and push himself physically and mentally so that he’s not losing anything other than the ability to throw it. And, I mean, it’s really admirable the way he’s going about it. He’s doing it exactly the best way you can possibly do it. And we’ll keep our fingers crossed for a good result.”

Until then, Geno Smith will be Seattle’s starting quarterback.

Not that that was in doubt. But Carroll reiterated it during an answer on why the team claimed former University of Washington QB Jacob Eason off waivers Wednesday from the Indianapolis Colts.

Eason for now is the only other QB on the active 53-man roster behind Smith with Wilson on IR and Jake Luton and Danny Etling on the practice squad.

But Luton will almost certainly be the backup again this week behind Smith with the team able to elevate him off the practice squad before Monday’s game with the Saints.

“Just going to see,” Carroll said of claiming Eason. “He’s a very talented player. We thought that a long time ago and here he is available to us. We had a spot on the roster, we could do it, so we jumped on it.

“I happened to watch him a lot in preseason just because I was watching the Colts (Seattle’s opponent to open the regular season) and he was impressive. He wasn’t the top player in the country (coming out of Lake Stevens High School) for no reason. He’s a real talent. So we’ll see what happens. I don’t know how that fits together right now.”