Seahawks Designate Russell Wilson, Dee Eskridge and Nigel Warrior For Return to Practice

Reinforcements are well on their way for the Seahawks this week. In addition to quarterback Russell Wilson (finger), receiver Dee Eskridge (concussion) and cornerback Nigel Warrior (leg) have been designated for return to practice, the team announced. All three will have 21 days before they're required to be activated from injured reserve. 

News of Wilson's inclusion is unsurprising, coming shortly after Dr. Steven Shin cleared him for "full return" from middle finger surgery. The expectation is that Seattle's star quarterback will be under center when the team travels to Green Bay for a Week 10 matchup with the Packers this Sunday. 

The Seahawks went 1-2 in Wilson's absence, defeating the Jaguars by a score of 31-7 before heading into their bye week. In 13 quarters and an overtime period's worth of work, backup quarterback Geno Smith completed 65 of 95 passes for 702 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. 

Eskridge has been on injured reserve since October 7, but he sustained his injury all the way back in the team's 28-16 win over the Colts in Week 1. His symptoms lingered for quite some time, forcing him to miss all but one practice in the buildup to his IR stint. 

Seattle's top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft just recently rejoined the team after heading down to Florida for what head coach Pete Carroll called "a visual training program." It's unknown at this time if Eskridge will make his way back as quickly as Wilson is anticipated to, but more clarity should be given on that when Carroll speaks to the media later today.

The Seahawks will also get their first real look at Warrior this week. The 23-year old defensive back landed on IR just seven days after he was claimed off waivers. 

One concerning omission from this list, however, is running back Chris Carson (neck). Carroll indicated the fifth-year back had a chance to return out of the bye week, but that does not appear to be the case. 

Nevertheless, the good news outweighs the bad for the Seahawks today as they turn their attention to the second half of the 2021 season. The NFC West lead is far out of reach, but they only find themselves one game out of the conference's final wild-card spot. But they'll have to overcome one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NFL, which starts with back-to-back games against the 7-2 Packers and 8-1 Cardinals. At the very least, they're getting healthy at the right time.