Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas said he believes he’s about 80 percent recovered from the broken left leg that brought an abrupt end to his 2016 season last December.
“I think I’m about 80 percent,” Thomas said on Tuesday.
“I think my 80 percent is still faster than most of the guys that are out here. Just trying to keep my mental game sharp, try to stay in tune, help the young guys out as much as possible. I’m just happy I’m back out here with the guys.”
Thomas broke the leg colliding with teammate Kam Chancellor while both players chased an interception against the Carolina Panthers. He elected not to have surgery to correct the break, instead opting for natural healing processes as doctors told him there was a 50 percent chance the leg would heal correctly on its own.
Both Thomas and head coach Pete Carroll admitted they’re surprised he’s been able to do as much as he has through this portion of the offseason.
“I heard he said he’s 80 percent. Isn’t that awesome? He thinks he’s 80 percent,” Carroll joked. “He looks good. He’s running around doing everything and flying around the field and getting his confidence back.”
Thomas is still limited in practices and likely could be eased into training camp next month as well. However, Thomas has gradually increased his workload throughout the offseason. During mini-camp on Tuesday, he was far more involved during team drills than he had been up to this point.
“Early on when we first got out here I wasn’t sure but I had to test it out just to see,” Thomas said. “When I’m in walkthroughs, that’s easy. But when you’re out here and everybody is running full speed that’s when you can really gauge what’s happening. That’s where I get my best gauge yet and so far so good.”
Carroll expects Thomas will be fully healthy by the start of training camp but indicated they’ll take it easy to begin camp because there’s no rush in late-July.