Seahawks activate LB Brooks (ACL) from PUP list

Brady Henderson, ESPNAug 15, 2023, 03:55 PM ET
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RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks passed his physical and was activated off the physically unable to perform list Tuesday, seven and a half months after he suffered an ACL tear that required reconstructive surgery.

Whether or not Brooks can work himself into football shape in time to achieve his goal of playing in Week 1, he has made a quick recovery based on the common nine-month time frame for his injury.

“I just attacked the rehab from day one,” Brooks said. “I know people was throwing numbers around with what the return timetable would be, but I just went off of how I felt and it’s been a great process of getting back.”

Brooks didn’t practice Tuesday afternoon but did take part in the morning walk-through, which he couldn’t do until he was activated off PUP. Coach Pete Carroll commended Brooks for his progress but cautioned that they’re not going to rush him back to practice and said “it’s going to be a while still” before he’s all the way back.

Carroll stopped short of saying Brooks is on track to be ready by Seattle’s Sept. 10 opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

“It could happen,” Carroll said. “We’re talking one, two, three weeks from now? Maybe.”

Another question is which of the two inside linebacker spots Brooks will play. The Seahawks fortified that position group this offseason by bringing back Bobby Wagner and adding former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Devin Bush, both on one-year deals. Carroll has said Brooks will remain the centerpiece of their defense whenever he returns, though he wouldn’t say Tuesday whether Brooks will play middle or weakside linebacker.

Asked whether he believes he’ll be ready for the opener, Brooks said, “The way I’m feeling now, I think I would. Where I play, I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Brooks tore the ACL in his right knee on Jan. 1 and had surgery later that month. The Houston native spent much of the offseason rehabbing in Frisco, Texas, with Seahawks safety Jamal Adams, who’s also coming off a major injury. By late spring, their training sessions included races in the 40-yard dash. Brooks said the fastest time he ran was around a 4.59, a hair over his official time of 4.54 at the 2020 scouting combine.

“But I felt great running my 40,” he said, “and that was in June.”

Adams clocked a faster time, according to Brooks, but didn’t beat him in any of their head-to-head races.

“Jamal, he’s got a heck of a personality,” Brooks said. “Honestly, I would say that was probably the biggest boost for my recovery was kind of seeing him and how he was reacting to his injury, having fun every day during his rehab process. He kind of encouraged me to bring that attitude to rehab every day. So it was great.”

Adams had surgery after tearing his quad tendon in last season’s opener and remains on PUP. Asked about the potential for Adams to be back by the opener, Carroll noted that he’s not as far along as Brooks.

“Jamal looks like he’s on his way back, too,” Carroll said. “Again, we’ve got to get them not just to where they can kind of get back out there but they’ve got to be able to stay out there, so that’s why we’re taking some time and making sure that hopefully we can guarantee that when they return, they stay returned.”

The Seahawks drafted Brooks 27th overall out of Texas Tech in 2020. He led the team in tackles in each of the past two seasons, including a franchise-record 184 in 2021. Seattle declined his $12.722 million fifth-year option in the spring, putting Brooks on track to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

“I don’t even know what that deal means,” Brooks said about going into a contract year. “I don’t know nothing about numbers; I just know that I’m still with the Seahawks right now and I’m going to take full advantage of that.”