K.J. Wright, Ed Dickson eager to return to action with Seahawks

Detroit Lions v Seattle Seahawks

RENTON -- Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright was going through the same warmups he's gone through countless times over eight seasons in Seattle when he felt something go awry in his knee.

Wright was preparing for Seattle's third preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. He was doing side-to-side shuffling when his knee buckled a little bit. Wright didn't think it was anything too serious and played his expected amount of plays against the Vikings only to have a post-game MRI reveal an issue he needed to get corrected.

"I did a simple shuffle and I just felt my knee just kind of give out and I was like 'what the... what is that?' I didn't pay any attention to it. I kept playing," Wright said. "I told them afterward 'I feel a little sore' and they got an MRI, which I thought was unnecessary. 'I don't need an MRI.' Once they showed what happened, they showed that it was messed up so I had to get it repaired."

It's been nearly two months since then and Wright is finally set to return to action this Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

"I am glad to be back. Very glad," Wright said.

Wright said he planned after surgery to return for Seattle's home opener against Dallas on Sept. 23. However, that process was delayed as he pushed too hard in his rehab.

"I was on track. I was running at two weeks (after surgery)," Wright said. "But I think I ran a little too hard and had that setback.

"As bad as you want to get back out there you've just got to make sure that you come back right."

The pressurized environment of an airplane can cause inflammation issues and so Wright wasn't allowed to travel to road games in the hope of elongating the healing process. He said that was the most difficult part of his absence, being forced to watch the games from either his house or at former teammate Cliff Avril's place.

"Just to watch it and not be able to travel," Wright said. "I couldn't travel to London, couldn't go to Arizona, Chicago. I just had to stay back and watch it."

The last time the Seahawks played the Lions in 2015, Wright was involved in a controversial and critical play in the closing minutes. Kam Chancellor punched a ball free from the grasp of Lions receiver Calvin Johnson just shy of the goal line. Wright knocked the loose ball out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, though the play should have been penalized for illegal batting of the football.

The play allowed Seattle to hold on for a 13-10 victory that avoided an 0-3 start to the season.

Meanwhile, tight end Ed Dickson is also on track to make his debut with the Seahawks after missing the first six games on the non-football injury list.

Dickson wasn't particularly thrilled that he began the year on the NFI list. He tweeted in September "Can't say that I'm happy with the decision but I'm trusting gods plan. I'll be ready when #84 is called."

He reiterated that the decision wasn't his favorite choice at the beginning of the year, but said he's ready to go now and wants to contribute.

“I’m not going to sit here and say that I was happy about it, but I understood the process and I accepted it,” Dickson said Thursday. “We move on from there. Being back with my teammates, being back with my brothers, that’s the only thing I’m worried about right now – being a person that can contribute to the team. That’s all I’m worried about.”

Dickson hasn't been able to be on the field doing football things since the spring before the injury surfaced. Head coach Pete Carroll referred to it as both a groin and quadriceps issue at times. Dickson referred to it as a soft-tissue injury and said it was an "iliopsoas kind of injury," which refers to the anterior hip muscles.

"Behind the scenes we did a lot of work," Dickson said. "Shout out goes to the training staff and the guys that helped me get ready for this moment. I've been ready to go. I'm not going to go out there and play 90 plays but I'm going to go out there and contribute however many plays I play."

Dickson currently doesn't count against Seattle's 53-man roster. He's permitted to practice up to three weeks with the team before having to be added to the active squad. However, all signs point toward Dickson and Wright playing this weekend against the Lions.

“I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve been in in probably nine years,” Dickson said. “You give a player like myself time to lift and run and mentally get prepared, and I feel like I might be in the best shape of any player in the NFL right now. I just have to go out there and prove it.

“Game shape is different than training shape. I know I need to get back in that game shape and get on the same page with my quarterback and the rest of the offensive guys. I take every opportunity I can every minute I can in the day to try to get that.”

Injury Report:

Photo Credit: SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 5: Linebacker K.J. Wright #50 of the Seattle Seahawks bats a loose ball out of the back of the end zone during the second half of a football game at CenturyLink Field on October 5, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks won the game 13-10. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)


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