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Brady Henderson, ESPN
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks activated outdoors linebacker Uchenna Nwosu off injured reserve Thursday, clearing the best way for the group’s finest edge defender to return Sunday towards the Arizona Cardinals from his second important damage of the season.
The first one, Nwosu believes, was the results of a “soiled play.”
On the opening drive of the Seahawks’ preseason finale towards the Cleveland Browns, Nwosu suffered a sprained MCL after proper guard Wyatt Teller dove at his left knee on a lower block. Nwosu had been flagged for roughing the passer one play earlier for a success on Jameis Winston.
“I assumed it was soiled, straight up,” Nwosu stated of Teller’s block. “I did not prefer it. It’s preseason. We’re going to be in there like two drives, nevertheless it’s soccer. I get it, it is soccer on the finish of the day, nevertheless it was positively a grimy play.”
The Browns had been flagged for an unlawful chop block, although working again Jerome Ford — who engaged Nwosu excessive as Teller was already blocking him low — was introduced because the responsible celebration.
When requested by ESPN concerning the play in October, Nwosu chalked it as much as being part of soccer and stated he needed to higher defend himself subsequent time. But he had a a lot totally different tune Thursday. Without mentioning anybody by title, he stated he additionally would have thought of Teller’s block a grimy play had it occurred in a regular-season recreation.
“I do know you are allowed to chop,” he stated. “But the best way you narrow, you may’t do it going again in direction of your personal finish zone, and that is what he did to me, so that is what made it soiled.”
Nwosu missed the primary 4 video games whereas recovering from his MCL sprain. That was among the many rash of accidents which have sidetracked his profession since he joined Seattle in free company in 2022 and broke out with a career-high 9.5 sacks that season to earn a three-year, $45 million extension. Nwosu missed the ultimate 11 video games of 2023 due to a torn pectoral muscle. His return in Week 5 of this season from the MCL sprain was lower quick after 20 performs due to a left quad damage.
“It’s been powerful,” Nwosu stated, noting that he had handled solely minor accidents over his first 5 seasons earlier than he tore his pec. “I really feel prefer it’s actually issues which have sort of been out of my management, particularly with the knee damage I had. And then one factor results in one other, so who is aware of. So simply sort of simply refiguring myself out, simply trusting my course of and realizing that I do know my profession goes to be nice and I’ll nonetheless be the identical participant I’m, and simply proceed to belief myself.”
General supervisor John Schneider beforehand described Nwosu’s quad damage as a “fairly intense” pressure, however Nwosu stated Thursday that it was torn.
“Talking to docs, no surgical procedure was wanted,” he stated. “I rehabbed, and I really feel able to go.”
Nwosu, 27, returned to observe final week. Now he returns to a resurgence protection that has vaulted the Seahawks to the highest of the NFC West at 7-5 after three straight victories. He stated he is getting ready to handle a full workload Sunday at Arizona. He averaged over 50 snaps per recreation in 2022, however Seattle’s defensive entrance is way deeper this season than it was then.
“That’s the man proper there,” defensive deal with Jarran Reed stated. “He’s a man that is hungry. He’s a real chief. He might help the blokes on the sting as properly. Having him again goes to be big. I believe we’re solely going to get higher.”
On the identical day he was activated off IR, Nwosu was introduced because the Seahawks’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. He stated his latest accidents have afforded him time to consider methods he could make a distinction off the sphere.
“Even although, in fact, my thoughts continues to be on soccer, at all times will probably be,” he stated. “But when you’ve gotten that additional time, you may take into consideration stuff you need to do for the neighborhood. That’s simply what I’ve been attempting to make use of to distract myself slightly bit, not suppose a lot concerning the accidents and be down on myself, simply use this time to present again to the neighborhood and make myself really feel higher.”
