The Seahawks were back in action on Monday following a day off, and in addition to the players taking part in practice, there was a special visitor watching from the sidelines for the first time in camp. That and other observations from Day 9:

1. A special guest at practice.

And no, we're not talking about celebrity Seahawks fan Joel McHale, who took in practice from the sideline, though the local comedian/actor is always a welcome visitor as well. But the visit that really got everyone's attention Monday was that of safety Kam Chancellor, who was present for the first time since being placed on a the reserve/PUP list before the start of camp.

Chancellor spent a little bit of time talking with various Seahawks players, while also chatting with passing game coordinator Andre Curtis between plays during the team portion of practice. Following practice, Chancellor broke down the defensive backs huddle, then got a huge ovation from fans as he walked over to sign autographs.

While Chancellor will not play this season, the result of a neck injury sustained last year, he does plan to be around the team this year.

2. Delano Hill made the play of the day.

While we're on the topic of safeties… While the starting safety tandem was again Bradley McDougald at strong safety and Tedric Thompson at free safety, it was Delano Hill who turned in the play of the day, intercepting an Alex McGough pass with an impressive display of athleticism. On a throw down the right sideline, Hill came from the middle of the field and leapt in front of receiver David Moore to break up the pass, but he wasn't done with that effort. As the ball bounced up into the air, Hill spun around Moore, then dove to catch the ball just before it hit the ground.

3. The running backs continue to show off their hands.

As was evident in the “mock game” the Seahawks held on Saturday, Seattle's running backs look more than capable of contributing in the passing game this season. That was on display again on Monday on a number of occasions, including impressive grabs by both Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson. Carson, who had a 65-yard touchdown reception to kick off Saturday's scrimmage, showed impressive hands on a short pass, reaching out to snag a hard-thrown ball that was a bit in farther in front of him than would have been ideal. Later in practice, Penny went way up in the air to snag a pass over the middle, the type of catch that would have still been impressive had it been made by a veteran receiver and not a rookie running back.

4. The kicking competition remains too close to call.

It's hard to say who is leading the competition between Jason Myers and Sebastian Janikowski, because so far both have enjoyed impressive showings in camp. That was on display again Monday when the two lined up for 55-yard field goal attempts on back-to-back snaps. Myers went first, and put one dead center between the uprights with plenty of room to spare. Janikowski then showed off his big left leg while making his attempt, a kick that nearly hit the top of the right upright.

5. The Seahawks are getting healthier.

When talking about injuries late last week, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said "we should have a pretty good return next week," and indeed several players who were held out of Saturday's mock game were back in action Monday, a group that included cornerback Shaquill Griffin, center Justin Britt, linebacker Marcus Smith and defensive tackle Tom Johnson.

Additionally, cornerback Dontae Johnson has been activated off of the physically unable to perform list and was in uniform Monday, though he was limited in his work.

With K.J. Wright still sidelined by a groin injury, rookie Shaquem Griffin again worked with the starting defense at weakside linebacker.