The Sports Xchange

RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Paul Richardson returned to practice this week for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in the playoffs last January.

Richardson played in 15 games for Seattle last year as a rookie and caught 29 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown before injuring his left knee is a victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Richardson was placed on the physically unable to perform list prior to training camp and was ineligible until after the first six weeks of the season. With a truncated week of practice before last Thursday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks held off on getting Richardson back on the field until Monday.

“First time out, he looked lightning fast,” head coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s got the fresh legs and he’s already really fast, so he looked good getting started.”

Richardson said he felt he was back to 100 percent about a month ago. He says he’s also faster than he used to be, which is an amazing thought considering he once ran a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash prior to the NFL Combine.

“It’s definitely faster,” Richardson said, noting he has been timed to prove it.

Carroll said Richardson could play this week against the Dallas Cowboys. The team has 21 days from Monday where Richardson can practice and not count against the 53-man roster. A roster move would still need to be made to move Richardson to the active roster by Sunday to play against Dallas.

Carroll said they want to see how Richardson practices this week before making a decision on whether to activate him for Sunday’s game.

“I think he’s going to be able to put together a good solid week and we’ll just judge it at the end,” Carroll said. “It’s nothing specific. It’s more of a feel.”

— The Seahawks signed former Buffalo Bills running back Bryce Brown after a tryout with the team on Monday.

Brown was among 10 players Seattle worked out following the conclusion of practice. Brown was signed on Tuesday as backup Thomas Rawls has a calf injury that has his status in doubt for Sunday’s game in Dallas.

“He may be OK by the end of the week,” Carroll said of Rawls. “It’s kind of a nasty calf thing he’s got going on. The trainers are trying to determine if it’s just a strain or a bruise and we’re trying to figure that out.”

Brown was released by the Bills in September after playing in seven games for the team in 2014. Brown said Wednesday he was actually surprised Buffalo didn’t cut him in training camp instead. Brown said he has had workouts every week since being let go by Buffalo prior to signing with Seattle on Monday.

Brown is likely a short-term option for the Seahawks. Carroll wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Rawls being able to play Sunday.

INJURY NOTES: C Patrick Lewis (ankle) returned to limited participation in practice after missing last week’s game. Coach Pete Carroll said Lewis would resume his competition with Drew Nowak for the starting center job. … RB Marshawn Lynch (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. It is common for Lynch to get Wednesday off to rest, though he did miss two games due to a hamstring injury earlier this month. … DT Demarcus Dobbs (shoulder) was limited in practice on Wednesday after missing last week’s game. Carroll said he expected Dobbs to be available on Sunday. … DT Jordan Hill (quadriceps) was limited in practice on Wednesday after missing the last two games. Carroll said he expected Hill to be available Sunday. … LB Nick Moody (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday after missing the last two games. Carroll said he expected Moody to be available Sunday. … FB Derrick Coleman (concussion) was limited in practice. Coleman was injured in a two-car accident two weeks ago and hasn’t played since. … DE Cliff Avril (ankle) was limited in practice. … CB Marcus Burley (thumb) was a full participant in practice two weeks after surgery to repair a broken thumb. He’s expected to be available this week.