Seahawks QB Drew Lock 'fine'; Holton Ahlers re-signed to practice squad as insurance [The Seattle Times]

Oct. 13—RENTON — The Seahawks should be whole at quarterback when they head to Cincinnati for a game against the Bengals on Sunday.

But just in case, coach Pete Carroll confirmed that the reason the Seahawks re-signed rookie Holton Ahlers to the practice squad on Thursday was to serve as insurance in case Drew Lock has any issues with an ankle injury suffered this week in practice.

Ahlers, an undrafted rookie free agent from East Carolina, played with the Seahawks through the offseason and preseason and for the first game of the regular season before being released. Seattle had gone with just two quarterbacks on its overall roster the last three games. But Carroll said Lock suffering an injury in practice on Wednesday compelled the team to bring back Ahlers, who was not on a roster at the time.

"We got him here because we didn't know how Drew was going to respond," Carroll said. "We weren't sure."

But Lock was able to practice on a limited basis Friday and Carroll indicated he should be OK for Sunday even though he was listed as questionable.

"He stepped on a guy's foot and turned his ankle a little bit," Carroll said. "He had a really good day today. We weren't sure until we got him out there, but he practiced today and did fine."

Still, the team could elevate Ahlers from the practice squad on Saturday to assure having three quarterbacks for Sunday's game, something it has rarely done in recent years.

"We're going to wait right up to the end of it, see what happens," Carroll said.

The good news is that starter Geno Smith made it through the week of practice and was not listed on the game status report, having recovered well enough from knee and ankle injuries suffered in a 24-3 win over the Giants Oct. 2 — an injury that forced Lock to play and see his first regular-season action as a Seahawk.

"He had a terrific week," Carroll said of Smith. "I think he needed all of the time. He was maybe a little stiff at the beginning of the week, Monday, Tuesday in there. But he practiced and did everything the whole time. He's fine."

Cross, Haynes to return, but one spot on OL still uncertain

The Seahawks are getting healthier on their offensive line as left tackle Charles Cross is set to play for the first time since suffering a toe injury in the opener against the Rams. And right guard Phil Haynes is also expected to play after suffering a calf injury early on against the Giants.

"He's doing OK," Carroll said of Haynes. "Practiced every day."

Cross' return, meanwhile, comes at an opportune time as the Bengals have one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in Trey Hendrickson, who is tied for second in sacks with six. Hendrickson typically lines up on the right side of the defense.

"It's great to have him back out," Carroll said of Cross. "He's been just sick [about] not being able to help his team and all. He looked really good. Obviously, he's got fresh legs and all of that. I wouldn't be surprised if he feels like he sees things a little bit better just from sitting out and watching. I would bet that he grew a little bit more from that. He had a good week and he's ready to go and we're excited about that."

Left unclear is the status of left guard Damien Lewis, who is listed as doubtful with an ankle injury and did not practice all week, and how Seattle will fill his spot if he can't go. Carroll wouldn't say what Seattle will do if Lewis can't play.

One possibility is that the team could move Haynes to the left side and go with rookie Anthony Bradford at right guard — Bradford has played only on the right side so far while Haynes has seen time on both sides in his career. Bradford started the Carolina game at right guard.

The Seahawks could also use 20-year vet Jason Peters, who signed to the practice squad following the injuries in the opener. Peters has yet to play but Carroll said Friday he has taken snaps at both tackle — his usual position — and guard, where he played some with Dallas last season.

"He's been pretty good," Carroll said. "He's looked really good. We've moved him around so we're finding out how much flexibility we have at the other spots. [He practiced at guard] a little bit earlier in the week, he's doing good."

Seattle remains without starting right tackle Abe Lucas, who is out with a knee issue since the opener. He is eligible to return off injured reserve next week.

"Abe is working really hard," Carroll said. "He's really close to being back. I'll be surprised if he's not getting close to practicing by next week. I don't know if it'll be soon enough for him to play, but I'll be surprised if he doesn't get out there some."

Safety Jamal Adams good to go

Safety Jamal Adams, who suffered a concussion in the Giants game after playing just nine snaps in his first game in 385 days, made it through practice this week without any setbacks and was not on the game status report, meaning he is cleared fully to play against the Bengals.

"Just a really good, solid week like nothing ever went wrong and didn't miss anything," Carroll said. "It's really good. He got a little taste of getting out there and coming back. ... I know he's really hungry to play again."

Notes

— The only two players listed as out were cornerbacks Coby Bryant (toe) and Artie Burns (hamstring). Each has started games at the nickel spot this year, but Devon Witherspoon's emergence at that spot means at this point, each would be backups. Carroll said Burns — who played in the first three games — is "getting close" while indicating that Bryant, out since the Detroit game, is a little further away.

— Receiver DK Metcalf was a full participant in practice Friday after sitting out the previous two days with a rib injury suffered against the Lions, which could be the team's routine for a while as Seattle plays it careful with their leading receiver (Metcalf leads Seattle in both receptions, 18, and yards, 268).

"He was spectacular today in practice and had a perfect day today," Carroll said. "We did everything we could to try to keep him as far away from the discomfort that he's got. He's no worse than he was, and we just want to use every day that we could to give him a full recovery opportunity. He looked great today and I have no reservations about him going full speed as much as we want to play him. He ran well during the week, so he's ready to go."

— Carroll confirmed receiver Dee Eskridge, who was suspended in August for the first six games of the regular season for violating the league's personal conduct policy, has been back in the building this week. He cannot return to practice until after the Oct. 22 game against Arizona. Eskridge had also been dealing with a knee injury at the time of his suspension, but Carroll said Friday he is healthy.

"He's working really hard," Carroll said. "He's in great shape and ready to go."

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