The Sports Xchange

RENTON, Wash. — With last week’s starting center Patrick Lewis ailing due to knee and ankle injuries, the Seahawks re-signed veteran lineman Lemuel Jeanpierre to add depth at the position.

Jeanpierre has appeared in 53 games over the last four seasons and started 11 games for Seattle over the span. He was thought to be the favorite to replace Max Unger as the team’s starter heading into training camp, but was beaten out for the job by Drew Nowak.

Jeanpierre was released during the team’s cutdown to 75 players in August.

“It’s good to see him back,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “You kind of just go ‘whew,’ OK we’ve got somebody there that knows the position, knows our calls and knows how to make adjustments for us and if he needs to step in there he can step in right away.”

Nowak will likely resume his role as the team’s starter if Lewis is unable to play, with Jeanpierre serving as the backup. Jeanpierre can also play guard for Seattle as well.

–With the first six weeks of the season now complete, players remaining on the physically unable to perform list are now eligible to return to the active roster.

Wide receiver Paul Richardson and cornerback Jeremy Lane are both eligible to return to practice starting this week. However, the short week of preparation ahead of Thursday night’s game against the 49ers has made their return a practical impossibility.

Head coach Pete Carroll said last week that Richardson is back to 100 percent and is ready to get back to practice. He said if this was a normal practice week, Richardson likely would have been back.

“He’s really ready to go and we’re excited to get him back out there,” head coach Pete Carroll said.

Lane is a few weeks behind Richardson in the recovery process.

Richardson tore his ACL in a playoff win over the Panthers last January. Lane then tore his ACL and suffered a broken arm after intercepting Tom Brady in the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

Once the players return to practice, they begin a 21-day period where they can practice with the team. The team then needs to add the player to the active roster before the conclusion of that 21-day window or they will remain ineligible to play for the remainder of the season.

Notes: Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said he fully expects to play Thursday night against the 49ers after being inactive against Carolina. He was a full participant in Tuesday’s walkthrough practice. … Fullback Derrick Coleman was reinstated from the suspended list. He did not practice in the team’s walkthrough on Tuesday due to a concussion stemming from a two-car accident last Wednesday night. … Cornerback Richard Sherman (ankle) did not participate in the team’s walkthrough practice on Tuesday. He was limited in the team’s walkthrough on Monday. … Cornerback Marcus Burley (thumb) was a full participant after being listed as out for this week’s game on Monday. Carroll said Monday Burley would not play this week after surgery to repair a broken thumb two weeks ago.