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Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright is not expected to be ready for the team's regular-season opener. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Wright's arthroscopic knee surgery went well on Monday. When asked for how long the 29-year-old Wright would be sidelined, Carroll said that "they talked about a couple weeks. It was the most optimistic we could be."
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Should that timetable ring true, rookie Shaquem Griffin likely would start in Wright's place as the Seahawks face the Broncos in Denver on Sept. 9.
Griffin will have a chance to work alongside linebacker Bobby Wagner when the Seahawks close the preseason Thursday against the visiting Oakland Raiders.
Wright, who was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016, sustained the injury during last Friday's preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
"He didn't get hit or anything or didn't have an episode, just felt that maybe something wasn't quite right and took a good look at it," Carroll said earlier this week.
Wright, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, had 108 tackles and one forced fumble in 15 games last season.
The 6-foot, 227-pound Griffin was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He had a standout career at Central Florida despite having his left hand amputated as a child.
The 23-year-old Griffin recorded a 4.38 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Griffin was named the American Athletic Conference's Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and registered 18.5 sacks in his final two seasons at UCF.
