Lane to make return against Steelers

Seahawks activate CB Jeremy Lane from the PUP list ahead of Sunday’s matchup against Pittsburgh.

Finally, Jeremy Lane is officially back on the Seattle Seahawks 53 man roster, and not a moment too soon. The Seahawks are still scuffling to figure out who their #2 corner back is, and are about to face one of the most prolific passing offenses in the league. Lane will be a welcome addition.

It’s been a long road back for the 2012 6th round pick out of Northwest State. Just seconds after intercepting a Tom Brady pass on the Seahawks first defensive stand of the Super Bowl in February, Lane suffered a disastrous pair of simultaneous injuries. A broken arm and torn ACL in his knee would not only end his season, but jeopardize 2015 as well. The Seahawks placed him on the Physically Unable To Perform list in hopes that he would be ready to go at some point this year, and here we are.

More from Seattle Seahawks News

• 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
• Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency 
• Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
• 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
• 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson

Now, the real questions (assuming he’s active on Sunday) will be just how healthy is he, and how ready he is for game action? Pete Carroll has said he looks good (specifically that he looks “fast”) in practice, but as we saw with WR Paul Richardson it’s a bigger challenge coming back from a serious injury than one would hope. Richardson suffered an ACL injury of his own in the Carolina playoff game last year and was activated for the Arizona Cardinal game two weeks ago only to suffer a hamstring injury. He hasn’t been back since and won’t play this week against Pittsburgh, according to Carroll.

If Lane is healthy and ready to go it will be interesting to see how the Seahawks choose to use him. Better suited covering the slot but capable of playing outside as well, Lane could be an asset as the Hawks try to match up with the explosive combo of Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and the rest of the Steelers deep receiving corps. The Seahawks have apparently given up on free agent signee Cary Williams, benching him mid-game last week in favor of converted safety DeShawn Shead. Marcus Burley and Shead have primarily been the nickle back. Does Lane simply play a backup role to begin with? Or might we see him in there instead of Burley, or even Shead depending on the situation?

Next: Know the enemy; 5 questions with Steelers writers

Whatever the case, the Seahawks get another piece to play with as they try to figure out the puzzle that is their corner back situation.