Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said starting linebacker K.J. Wright is recovering from a recent shoulder surgery and that he's unsure of when the 10th-year veteran will be healthy.
Schneider said during an interview Thursday with KJR-AM in Seattle that Wright's surgery wasn't serious, while declining to discuss specifics beyond that.
Wright, who turns 31 in July, is the Seahawks' longest-tenured player as a fourth-round pick by Seattle in 2011. He's entering the final year of a two-year, $14 million deal he signed last offseason after the Seahawks let him reach free agency for the first time in his career. He's scheduled to count $10 million against the salary cap, the team's fifth-highest total. He was already owed $1 million in a March roster bonus.
Schneider's revelation of Wright's surgery came in response to a question about whether the linebacker's job with the Seahawks is secure, which Schneider declined to discuss. The Seahawks chose Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks with the 27th overall pick in last week's NFL draft.
"He's rehabbing from his surgery," Schneider said. "I'm not sure of the timeline of when he's going to be back. Hopefully he makes it back on time and we'll see how it goes. It's a weird offseason for everybody but especially for guys that have had offseason surgery. ... Hopefully his name's up there on the wall someday, right? He's an amazing person, an amazing player. That's why we did our deal with him last year."
Wright's surgery might add some context to Seattle's decision to draft Brooks. Wright has long played weakside linebacker next to All-Pro Bobby Wagner at middle linebacker, which are the two inside spots in Pete Carroll's 4-3 defense. The strongside linebacker -- where veteran Bruce Irvin is one candidate to start -- typically plays on the line of scrimmage. Schneider mentioned the possibility of Brooks playing on the weak side and Wright moving to the strong side while saying coaches will figure that out in time.
A 2016 Pro Bowl selection, Wright moved into third place on the franchise's all-time tackles list last season while setting a new career high with 132. Wagner is first on that list. Wright started every game in what was a bounce-back season after he missed most of 2018 with a knee injury.
Schneider also said running back Rashaad Penny is "doing great" in his rehab from knee surgery but reiterated that his injury occurred late enough to threaten his availability for the start of this season. Penny, Seattle's first-round pick in 2018, suffered a torn ACL and additional damage to his knee in Week 14. Schneider said it's going to be "really hard" for Penny to make it back by roster cutdowns, which happen the weekend before the opener. That would make Penny a candidate to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, in which case he'd have to miss the first six games.
But Schneider said Penny's status was not the reason Seattle drafted Miami running back DeeJay Dallas in the fourth round.
Schneider said starting running back Chris Carson remains on track to be ready by Week 1. He suffered a season-ending hip injury in Week 16 that did not require surgery.