The Seahawks returned to practice Sunday following two days off, and as expected, running back Thomas Rawls was a full participant throughout practice, another positive step in his comeback from last year's season-ending ankle injury.

Rawls did not play in Seattle's first two preseason games, and it's not yet known if he'll play in the preseason at all, but both he and head coach Pete Carroll are optimistic about his progress and about his chances of being ready for the season opener.

"I'm just taking it day-by-day, whenever my number's called," Rawls said. "… I know I'll be ready by the first game."

Rawls said he sometimes still thinks about his injury, but tunes those thoughts out when he's on the field.

"I really try to cancel it out and just play free," he said. "My ankle is strong, a lot of mobility back in it, so when I'm out there, it's full-go, full tilt, so I really don't think about it too much… I can cut, I'm running fast, I've still got my accelerated burst, and I can get better."

Carroll agreed with Rawls self-assessment, saying the second year back, "Looks really good. The signs are very, very positive that he's going to be ready in a couple of weeks to play. Right now we just want to see him come back day after day and keep battling, really digging in like he does, competing like he does just show that he's right. He's doing everything we're asking of him. I'm really happy with him.

"He has better days than others, sometimes he feels a little stiff or something, but he's over it, he's healed. So now it's just dealing with the workload. We're going to work him really hard the next couple of weeks to make sure he is ready, and he will have made up time he wasn't able to get earlier. He's all for it and cranking and ready to go."

While Rawls is ahead of tight end Jimmy Graham in terms of what he is doing in practice, Carroll also remains encouraged by Graham's progress since he too came off of the physically unable to perform list.

"We're just doing more, just increasing the work demands," Carroll said. "He had some tests over the weekend that were very positive. We're just trying to find ways to keep making steps, again being very careful to do the right things. His mentality is good and his attitude is really good about it.

"He made progress, he made good progress. All the work he's putting in is showing up, so it's really positive signs."

Other injury updates

• Rookie tight end Nick Vannett suffered a high ankle sprain in Thursday's preseason game, but is making surprising progress, Carroll said: "He's surprisingly feeling pretty good. He got a pretty good sprain it looked like from all the tests, but he has responded really well. I don't know what that means, but the trainers were really pleased about that."
• Defensive tackle Jarran Reed, "has got a sore toe," Carroll said. "He did get his ankle a little bit, but that's probably OK. The sore toe, we've got to see what that means, see how long it takes him. He seemed to come back really fast last time, so we'll see what happens."
• Running back C.J. Prosise, who returned to practice last week from a hamstring injury, was held out Sunday, but will be back on the field Monday, Carroll said, and has a chance to make his preseason debut Thursday depending on how the week goes: "He's going to practice tomorrow. They just thought one more day here just to make sure after his rehabbing over the weekend. He should be out there tomorrow going. It's really an important week for us to get him back so he can hopefully practice every day and get the process started to give him a chance to see where he fits in."  
• Tackle J'Marcus Webb also has a chance to play in the preseason for the first time if all goes well in practice this week: "He's back out today working. He's going to play this week if everything goes well during the week. It's a very important week for him to come back and compete for his spot."
• Linebacker Brock Coyle sat out preseason game No. 2 with oblique and calf injuries, but "has a chance to practice tomorrow," according to Carroll.
• Receiver Kasen Williams, who returned last week from a hamstring injury "Didn't come out of the weekend very smoothly. He wasn't able to go today. He's a day-to-day guy, he's really close to being back, but not yet."