Seattle Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung has returned to practice in limited fashion with coach Pete Carroll saying Okung is one or two weeks away.
Okung was in a helmet and shoulder pads for Thursday's practice, doing work in individual drills just a week after injuring his left ankle. He is not full speed yet, but Carroll says Okung is "not as bad as he was" in reference to a pair of ankle injuries that sidelined Okung for chunks of last season.
Okung was hurt in the first series last Thursday night in Seattle's preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers. Carroll said after the win that Okung "felt something pop" as he blocked, but his legs were not contacted on the play in which Okung injured his left ankle.
Carroll wouldn't guarantee that Okung will be ready for the Sept. 11 season opener at San Francisco.
"As soon as possible," Okung told *The Seattle Times*. "As you can see, it's coming along a lot faster than I thought."
Tyler Polumbus will start at left tackle for Saturday's preseason game against Minnesota.
"We can't hold our breath and wait for Russell, now," Carroll told the newspaper. "We have to keep going. We know he's coming back quickly, though, and we love the fact that he's making a great recovery. He's mindfully strong about this. He's in much better shape mentally than he was at other times because he knows he's going to make it back. That will happen in another couple weeks."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
