Getty Russell Wilson could be back on the field sooner than expected.
The Seattle Seahawks may be getting Russell Wilson back on the field sooner than many anticipated. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Wilson is targeting a Week 10 return as the Seahawks travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers. If Wilson is able to achieve this aggressive return timeline, the Seahawks would only be without their starting quarterback for three more games thanks to their Week 9 bye week.
“My understanding after very successful surgery on Friday, Russell Wilson is targeting Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers as his return date,” Rapoport explained. “If it’s not that day, it’s likely Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals. That is [the] best-case scenario. So, that would mean Wilson misses four weeks, but it’s after a bye, so he could only miss three games.”
Here is a look at Rapoport’s latest update on Wilson’s status.
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Wilson Is Dealing With 2 Injuries to His Finger Including an Impact Fracture
Wilson is dealing with two separate injuries to his finger making the recovery process more complicated than the Seahawks initially expected. Not only does Wilson have mallet finger, but the doctors found an impact fracture in the middle of his finger as well. Rapoport detailed Wilson’s recovery process for the coming weeks.
“As far as how it broke down, they knew on Thursday night that it was essentially a dislocated joint, mallet finger,” Rapoport added. “That was probably about one or two games. Then they did an MRI and CT scan on Friday and found an impact fracture basically in the middle of his middle finger. I am told they inserted three screws into that middle finger, three pins, just to make sure that stabilized. He’s going to be in that big cast we saw on social media [for] a couple weeks, then a splint [to] start the process of strengthening and coming back.”
Wilson Was in ‘Tremendous Pain’ After the Injury
There have been conflicting reports about Wilson’s specific timeline, but ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported the quarterback is projected to be sidelined for four to eight weeks. If Wilson is able to return in Week 10, it is likely the earliest the quarterback will be back on the field representing the best-case scenario. The challenge for Wilson is he will not want to risk long-term damage by rushing back to play in the coming weeks.
Not all reporters are as optimistic with the timeline as ESPN’s Jordan Schultz expects Wilson to miss “most of the regular season.” Schultz described Wilson as being in “tremendous pain” after the injury.
“According to multiple sources and as @JFowlerESPN reported, Russell Wilson will miss a minimum of four weeks, but in all likelihood will miss most of the regular season,” Schultz said in a series of tweets on October 8. “Surgery appears to be the only move, putting a serious damper on Russ playing anytime soon. Source says Wilson was in ‘tremendous pain’ last night, though I’m told Russ will make a full recovery.”