RENTON -- Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas isn't injured, but he still didn't take part in Friday's practice ahead of Sunday's home opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
Thomas did not practice due to reasons head coach Pete Carroll said were of a personal nature.
"He couldn't work today," Carroll said.
Carroll also left open the possibility those reasons would keep Thomas from playing against the Cowboys on Sunday.
"We'll see how he's doing. Make sure he's OK," Carroll said.
Carroll didn't delve into specifics of Thomas' situation but said directly that Thomas isn't dealing with an injury.
"He's got some other stuff going on we're working on," Carroll said.
Thomas was at practice as a spectator but did not take part in the workouts. He also sat out practice on Wednesday - which is a regular occurrence for veterans, particularly after a Monday night game - before returning to practice on Thursday. He then say out again on Friday for the team's final practice of the week.
None of this will do anything to quiet thoughts that a possible trade of Thomas could still occur.
Thomas held out from all offseason work in hopes of leveraging a new contract from the Seahawks. The move did not succeed despite Thomas' efforts and he reported to the team before the start of the regular season.
Left tackle Duane Brown was in a similar situation with the Houston Texans last year. He held out through the offseason, didn't return to the team until over a month into the season, played one game for Houston against the Seahawks before being traded to Seattle in the immediate days after. The potential of Thomas going to the Cowboys in a trade has been speculated throughout the whole process due to his running into the Cowboys locker room after a game there last December and telling Dallas coach Jason Garrett to "come get me."
The presence of former Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard on Dallas' coaching staff makes a fit with the Cowboys seem ideal as well, though Seattle has apparently not received an offer for Thomas they deem sufficient to this point.
It may amount to nothing at all, but it's certainly curious given all the focus on Thomas' situation this year.
Ethan Pocic, Doug Baldwin, K.J. Wright out, J.R. Sweezy to start at left guard:
Whether Thomas will play or not is uncertain, but the Seahawks ruled out three players ahead of Sunday's game with the Cowboys.
Left guard Ethan Pocic, wide receiver Doug Baldwin and linebacker K.J. Wright will not play against Dallas. Center Justin Britt and linebacker Mychal Kendricks are listed as questionable.
Pocic was in a walking boot at practice this week after turning his ankle in Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears.
"Just out in space he was running open area and he turned his ankle and it just flared up," Carroll said. "We're surprised (with) how it looked that it didn't respond. He's certainly got something we found on the MRI and all that so we've got to take care of him."
Britt will be a game-time decision after injuring his right shoulder diving into a pile chasing a Russell Wilson fumble against the Bears.
"He's feeling way better," Carroll said. "Didn't get the work this week though. He's been out there with us a long time and he knows what's going on so he could play on Sunday in this instance."
Joey Hunt would start at center in place of Britt if he's unable to play. Meanwhile, J.R. Sweezy will play at left guard in place of Pocic as D.J. Fluker is ready to go after missing the first two games with a hamstring strain.
Photo Credit: CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 17: Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks attempts to tackle Josh Bellamy #15 of the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on September 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)