Pete Carroll said this week that Russell Wilson is "definitely making progress" in his recovery from finger surgery. The quarterback's rehab suggests that's very much the case. In the coming week, Wilson is set to have a pin removed from his middle finger, according to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo, giving him a real chance to return from injured reserve and play in Week 10 against the Packers.
Wilson, who missed the Seahawks' Week 6 loss to the Steelers, is first eligible to suit up in Week 10. After landing on IR with his finger injury -- suffered in Week 5 against the Rams -- the Pro Bowler was guaranteed to miss at least three games. Carroll declined earlier this week to put a timetable on Wilson's recovery, but the quarterback has been proactive in rehab, even taking the field before the Steelers game for his own warm-up routine.
In the meantime, Seattle has called upon veteran backup Geno Smith at QB. Smith kept things close with Pittsburgh on Sunday before an overtime fumble helped seal the team's loss. He'll start for the Seahawks again this Monday night against the Saints, with the Jaguars on deck in Week 9. Should Wilson unexpectedly be unable to return the following week, he'd be slated for a Week 11 return against the rival Cardinals, who happen to be the NFL's lone undefeated team.
"Russ is making progress," Carroll told reporters earlier this week. "He's definitely making progress. He's very positive in all of that. I know it's hard on him. He wants to be out there so bad. (But) he's really conditioning hard to prepare himself physically and mentally. ... It's really admirable the way he's going about it. ... We'll keep our fingers crossed for good results."
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