More than meets the eye to Tyler Lockett being questionable for Seahawks opener vs Broncos

The NFL is back. So is the nuance to the league’s injury reports.

The Seahawks officially listed Tyler Lockett Friday as questionable to play Sunday in the season opener against the Denver Broncos at Lumen Field (1:05 p.m., channel 7). He’s had a hip issue he’s been dealing with for most of the last month.

He’s playing.

“Yeah,” the Seahawks’ 10th-year wide receiver said this week.

He flashed a look of “are you kidding me.”

His coach backed him up on Friday, after a week of practices in which the team listed Lockett as a limited participant.

“Tyler looks good,” Mike Macdonald said following practice Friday. “We expect him to play.”

Lockett was questionable to play multiple times last season, yet played in all 17 games. He’s only missed two games in the last seven seasons for Seattle.

Uchenna Nwosu out

As expected, the Seahawks declared outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (knee) and backup tight end Pharaoh Brown (foot) as out for the opener.

Nwosu could miss at least two games. That includes Seattle’s at New England next week. He sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee getting chop blocked by Cleveland guard Wyatt Teller early in the final preseason game Aug. 24.

Macdonald said this week the fact the Seahawks did not put Nwosu on injured reserve which would have meant he miss a minimum of four games shows the team think he will be back some time this month, sooner than four games from now.

Brown sustained a foot injury Aug. 15 in the Seahawks’ second of two full-go joint practices with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. He hasn’t practiced since.

Tyler Lockett learning the offense

Lockett turns 32 this month. Last month he had a thigh injury. The team kept him out of practices from the week of the Seahawks’ joint practices with the Titans in Nashville Aug. 14-15 through the end of the month.

While not practicing fully, Lockett has kept studying Grubb’s schemes and quarterback Geno Smith’s play calls. Lockett said he wants to know the system “like the back of my hand.” He’s kept catching passes out of the Jugs machine after practices he watched.

“Just kind of getting back into it, I’ve been trying to do whatever it takes,” Lockett said, “whether it’s trying to learn the offense like it’s the back of my hand or whether it’s just being able to stay out a little bit later, catching jugs or just kind of getting back into my rhythm but feeling pretty good, running pretty good and excited to kind of get year 10 underway.”

Connor Williams to debut

Connor Williams was full go in practice this week and the team did not list him on any injury and practice-participation report all week.

Barring something occuring between now and kickoff, Williams will make his debut as Seattle’s new starting center Sunday.

It is less than nine months after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in what became his final game for the Miami Dolphins. It is two weeks since the 27-year-old six-year NFL starter first began practicing with the Seahawks, after he signed a one-year contract with $3 million guaranteed.

He’s been working extra before practices on snaps to Smith. He’s been staying well after practices to go over fine points with offensive line coach Scott Huff.

“Done a lot in three weeks,” Williams told The News Tribune following practice Thursday. “But, as expected, you know?”

He similarly shrugged off his steep learning curve. He is cramming in two weeks an new offensive system play caller Ryan Grubb has been teaching Williams’ new teammates for five months.

Williams likens this rushed transition to starting week one for his new team with only two weeks of practices to learning his new position with the Dolphins a couple years ago.

“You know, I went to Miami, that was the first time I played center. It was obviously a lot, definitely for first OTAs (offseason practices in the spring) and being able to go through the program,” he said. “I think I might have taken for granted how that was not just a first-time(at-a-position) thing. That’s a center thing.

“And so it’s definitely been a transition. But I mean, everyone’s been so open and so helpful. And I mean we’re working through so many things. And so it’s been I’d say a great adjustment. And I mean, Geno’s been awesome. Ad the whole line’s been awesome and open and welcoming.

“I think it’s been a great building block. I really think we’re finally together, that we’re actually building momentum together.”