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Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith returns to practice

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith greets fans as he walks onto the field during the first day of training camp on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Renton. (Nick Wagner/Seattle Times)
By Bob Condotta Seattle Times

RENTON, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith returned to practice Monday after sitting out the previous four practices because of knee and hip injuries.

Smith missed practices on Wednesday through Saturday and the team was off on Sunday.

The Seahawks were back on the field Monday morning at the VMAC and Smith was with them, taking the field about 10 minutes before the official start time, clad again in his familiar No. 7 and with a helmet on and throwing some warmup passes.

The news was not a surprise, as coach Mike Macdonald said after Saturday’s practice at Lumen Field that Smith was expected back soon.

“I think there’s a good chance we’ll see him next week,’’ Macdonald said Saturday.

The only real reason there was any hedging was that Smith had to undergo one more test on Saturday. Smith underwent tests on Thursday and Friday as the team sought to assure he had not suffered any significant injuries when he was injured on Tuesday.

With Smith out, Sam Howell ran the first-team offense in practice and P.J. Walker worked with the second and third teams.

The Seahawks were scheduled to start practice at 9:45 with Macdonald set to talk to the media afterward.

Hawks sign LB Lynch

The Seahawks also made a personnel move Monday morning, signing veteran free agent linebacker Blake Lynch, waiving rookie center Mike Novitsky, an undrafted free agent out of Kansas, to make room.

Lynch, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor in 2020. Lynch attended the Seahawks’ minicamp in June as a tryout player.

The Seahawks are thin at inside linebacker with Jerome Baker, the projected starter at weakside linebacker, sitting out practice Saturday with a hamstring injury. Macdonald said he was unsure how long Baker may be out.

Lynch has played in 27 NFL games since 2020 and with one start with Minnesota in 2020 and six more in 2021.

After not playing in 2022 while spending some of the year on Arizona’s practice squad, he played in seven games a year ago with the Chargers, seeing all of his snaps on special teams.