Riq Woolen back on field for Seahawks, Dre’Mont Jones injured in practice

Riq Woolen is back, Kenny McIntosh and Darrell Taylor may not be out long, and the team is hopeful that an injury to Dre’Mont Jones suffered in practice Sunday isn’t serious.

Oh, and Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril were back at practice Sunday helping out with the defensive line.

That and more in our Seahawks notebook:

Good news on McIntosh

The Seahawks suffered two injuries in Friday’s mock game, as rookie running back McIntosh and undrafted free agent cornerback Andrew Whitaker each left with knee injuries.

The news was bad for Whitaker, who was signed late last month, as he suffered a patella tendon injury and will need surgery and appears out for the season.

The news is far better for McIntosh, a seventh-round pick out of Georgia who is competing for a spot in the team’s running-back rotation behind Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet and DeeJay Dallas.

McIntosh suffered what Carroll called a sprained knee when he was hit hard by Levi Bell on a play on which he fumbled.

“Very good news,’’ Carroll said. “He’s got a sprain. It might be a couple weeks. It looked nasty, but he’s flexible and being the extraordinary athlete that he was he made it through that awkward position that he got in and came out OK. He’s walking around and all that. He’s got a little swelling. We think it’s a first-degree type of sprain, so we we’re very lucky there.’’

The Seahawks also hope Walker, who has not practiced since the first day of camp due to a groin injury, will also be back soon.

But Charbonnet, who returned Thursday due to a shoulder injury, got his most extensive work yet Sunday and appears on the road to soon being full go.

“He did great today,’’ Carroll said after Sunday’s practice. “ … He was still limited in his numbers of reps, but he did full-speed stuff for us so he’ll be back for the rest of the week here if he comes out today all right.”

Woolen off PUP list, will be eased in

Woolen was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list and took part in some conditioning and individual drills in practice. He had been on the PUP list after having arthroscopic knee surgery in late May to repair cartilage damage.

Woolen did not work in team drills and Carroll said he will be eased in. Seattle has three more practices this week before its preseason opener Thursday against the Vikings at Lumen Field.

“It’s great to get him back,’’ Carroll said. “We’re still going to take care of him and make sure that we get him back to the football movements and football change of direction and things and more cover situations. … This week it will be really quiet. We won’t give him a lot of work, but we’re stressing him in the workouts and the rehab work to make sure he’s getting there and he feels great.’’

Michael Jackson has started at right cornerback in Woolen’s absence, with Tre Brown on the left side and rookie first-round pick Devon Witherspoon playing the nickel.

Carroll declined to say what happens with the cornerback alignments once Woolen returns other than that he will be a key part of it.

“I’m not even looking at that right now,’’ Carroll said when asked about a possible Jackson-Woolen competition on the right side. “I just want to get him back out there. He is a starter for us. He’s been a starter and he earned it. He did a great job last year, so I’ll just ease him back in. It depends on who is on his side at that time.”

Witherspoon has played mostly nickel during camp and did so again Sunday. But Carroll said he could still be used outside.

Seattle has four other players on the PUP list, all of whom can come off at any time: safety Jamal Adams, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and nose tackles Bryan Mone and Austin Faoliu.

Carroll again said Brooks and Adams are doing well in their recoveries.

“I can’t wait until we get Jordyn back out here,’’ Carroll said. “He’s really close. He and Jamal both look really good.’’

Carroll ‘pretty disappointed’ in college football amid realignment

Carroll remains the eighth-winningest coach in Pac-12 football history due to a sterling nine-year stint at USC from 2001-09 in which he went 97-19.

So what does Carroll think of the unraveling of the conference?

Here’s what he said Sunday: “You know, I don’t have enough information to comment clearly. But I’m really disappointed. I would think that there’s a lot of people, a lot of fans, that are disappointed, too. I know that it’s a financial turn that they do and they’ve got to make their decisions and all but there’s something about the tradition of it that gets lost, and I don’t know where they recapture that, I don’t know how they recapture the traditions that have been there so long.

“It’s not just our conference out here, it’s around the country, too. I really don’t understand. I’m pretty disappointed in college football right now. Just in general. Just disappointed it’s gone the way it’s gone. With all of the stuff that is happening, I hope they can get it right and it comes out way better than maybe I can imagine it in my limited capacity here. I just kind of like the tradition of it; that I feel like we are missing.”

Notes, quotes, anecdotes

— Jones suffered a toe injury late in practice of undetermined severity. He was treated while laying on the ground for a few minutes, then got up and walked off the field after practice under his own power.

“He banged his toe on the ground,’’ Carroll said. “I don’t know the extent of it at this point. … just wishful, hopeful optimism there.’’ Jones signed a three-year deal worth up to more than $51 million in March, the most the Seahawks have given an external free agent in the Carroll era.

— Former Seahawks Avril and Bennett each spent time working with the defensive line during drills and were on the field throughout practice and will be with the team all week, Carroll said.

Bennett is in town because he will also again be part of the team’s television broadcast crew for preseason games. “It was great to have them in the meetings and with the defense,’’ Carroll said. “It’s kind of remarkable how smooth that feels. It doesn’t feel like a distraction, it feels like they’re supposed to be here. When any of our guys come back that have been with us for a number of years, it’s interesting how they just blend in. Both of those guys are having fun. They were fired up and competing today on the field. It was great to see them. I love that they’re here.”

— Edge Darrell Taylor has been out since Thursday with a sprained shoulder. But after being seen with a sling on his shoulder on Thursday he watched practice Sunday without anything on his arm, and Carroll said he should be back soon. “He’s doing well,’’ Carroll said. “He’s getting better every day feeling stronger and feeling more confident. We don’t think it’s going to take very long.”