Quarterback Russell Wilson won’t be playing in the Seattle Seahawks preseason opener against the Denver Broncos. Instead, backup Geno Smith will get the start Thursday night. However, the start comes with a twist.
“He’s got an issue that we are dealing with and that we are going to tend to after the game,” coach Pete Carroll said after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s going to play in the game, he’s going to start the game and get a chance to play some good football for us. We are going to fix him up after that.”
Carroll did not specify the nature of Smith’s injury, preferring not to discuss until after the game. He does believe, however, it won’t keep him out of the action for long.
“No, no, we think he’s going to be ok for the second game too, is what the plan is,” Carroll explained. “We have an unusual length between these two games that we’re going to try to take full advantage of. I really believe that the three days next week after we come back from this game are really the heart of this training camp for us. I would like to come out of those three days which we break, and then we’ll have prep for the next ball game.”
Whatever Smith’s injury is, he will have 10 days to recover as Seattle’s second preseason outing isn’t until Aug. 18 when the Seahawks travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings in prime time.
Paxton Lynch will also see significant time Thursday night against the Broncos, the team that selected him in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.
