Perhaps no player in the league needed a bye week more than Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, simultaneously rehabbing ankle and knee injuries.
And the Seahawks hope the time off will allow him to get back to the kind of run threat he once was, so their offense can do all it’s capable of.
Via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, Sehawks coach Pete Carroll said Wilson “looks great” and that “that’s a great sign for us.”
Mainly, it would help if Wilson was able to run at all, as the combination of his injuries and running back Thomas Rawls being out with a cracked fibula have limited their plans.
Wilson has just 15 carries for 28 yards this year (1.9 yards per rush). Last season, he ran for 553 yards, and was nearly a quarter of a rushing attack that ranked third in the league. This year, they’re 18th in the league in rushing.
“The threat that he poses is always a threat and has always been a threat in our running game,” Carroll said. “You know, he’s averaging one yard a carry right now. That’s not the guy we know.
“So, as he comes back to full speed and can be the factor, it affects everything.”
Of course, he might not still be back to full speed yet, but as he gets closer, the Seahawks can try to get back to the kind of balanced offense they want to be.