Earl Thomas returns to practice: 'Happy they've taken the handcuffs off me'
Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is back practicing, but his Week 1 status remains in doubt.
Earl Thomas back to #Seahawks practice for 1st time since Feb shoulder surgery. No-contact jersey. @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/q8rS1rpLjy
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 18, 2015
The Pro Bowl safety, who was noncommittal when asked Tuesday about playing Sept. 13 against the St. Louis Rams, had been out since February with a shoulder injury. It wasn't easy sitting on the sidelines for so long, he admitted.
"It's been very tough." Thomas said, according to Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle. "A lot of negative thoughts in my mind."
Thomas is glad to be back on the field with his teammates, saying he's "happy they've taken the handcuffs off me and let me kinda do my job."
Thomas, one of the league's most productive safeties over the last five seasons, suffered a dislocated shoulder in last year's playoffs, playing with it in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.
His return is a boon for a Seahawks secondary practicing without an injured Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, who's holding out for a new contract.
"I was debating if I still loved it at one point," Thomas added. "But being out here today it reassured me that I love it."