The Seattle Seahawks will get some additional help back in their secondary this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Head coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday the team will activate cornerback Jeremy Lane from the physically unable to perform list.
“Jeremy’s going to be active,” Carroll said. “And if he makes it through the week okay, he’s going to be dressing and playing.”
Lane has practiced the last two weeks after spending the first nine weeks ineligible on the PUP list. Lane suffered a broken arm and torn ACL in the Super Bowl in February while making the first interception of his career off Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Lane suffered both injuries while being tackles by Julian Edelman along the Seahawks sideline.
Lane’s return comes at a needed time for Seattle. Cary Williams was benched by Seattle after allowing a 36-yard completion to Vance McDonald in the third quarter. He was replaced by DeShawn Shead, which moved Marcus Burley (playing with a cast on his right hand) into nickel duty.
Carroll said that Williams, Shead and Lane will all compete for the right cornerback job opposite Richard Sherman in practice. While Lane may become an option there in a couple of weeks, it would be unlikely he’d move straight into the starting lineup in his first game back, especially since Lane has primarily been a slot option in the past.
Nevertheless, it’s some needed veteran depth in a secondary that hasn’t played quite to its lofty standards this season. The team will still need to make a move to clear a spot on the 53-man roster for Lane later this week.