The Seattle Seahawks are hoping to have Earl Thomas healthy for Week 1 of the season and he made progress on that front, as Thomas returned to practice for the Seahawks and this comes as Kam Chancellor is continuing his holdout from camp for a new contract.
Thomas had shoulder surgery in the offseason and this was the first time that he has practiced this summer. According to Pro Football Talk, Thomas is "unsure" if he will be ready for Week 1 of the season, but he said he "felt good" in his first practice back. Head coach Pete Carroll said the team plans on having Thomas playing in Week 1 and barring any setbacks the safety could be in position to play. PFT reports that Thomas was wearing a no-contact jersey in practice.
Thomas has not missed a game in his professional career and that makes the Week 1 recovery even more important for the Seahawks defense. Thomas had 97 total tackles last season and two years ago he set a career high with 105 total tackles. Thomas is a key part of the secondary and with Kam Chancellor holding out, it was promising to have him back in practice.
Chancellor has continued to hold out of training camp and the Seattle Times reports that the safety wants a new contract. Chancellor is set to make over $16 million for the three years that he is signed for, but he wants a raise and it comes after Bobby Wagner was signed this offseason to a new deal. Josina Anderson at ESPN reported earlier in the summer that Chancellor wants more money guaranteed on his contract for the next two seasons and that could be part of his holdout demands.
Chancellor missed two games last season and put up 78 total tackles and he has had four interceptions over the last two seasons. Anderson has also reported that Chancellor is "willing" to miss regular season games for his holdout. The Seahawks signed Russell Wilson to a major deal this offseason and the team also added payroll with the Jimmy Graham trade. Graham will be a main red zone target for Wilson and it comes after Graham has put up 26 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
Graham spoke with the Associated Press in early August and he said that he would be blocking more in Seattle than he did in New Orleans. The Seahawks have a strong rushing game with Marshawn Lynch and Graham could also help open things up for receivers Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse. Last season Graham had 85 catches for the Saints and he has had at least that many catches in each of the last four years. The Seahawks tight end position has not been one of strength over the past few years and Graham could change that.
Check here for more on the Seattle Seahawks training camp and Chancellor.