Team news: Seattle Seahawks | Page 35

Jets QB Geno Smith (jaw) missed practice again Thursday.

Jets QB Geno Smith (jaw) did not practice Wednesday.

He's back. Well, not all the way, but Geno Smith took another step in his recovery on Monday, donning a helmet for the first time since his broken jaw and participating in positional drills as the New York Jets began preparation for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Smith is nearly four weeks removed from the infamous locker-room altercation with then-teammate IK Enemkpali. At the time, the Jets said he'd miss six to 10 weeks. It now appears it'll be closer to six than 10. He's expected to be inactive on Sunday.

Smith had been throwing and doing light work on the side the last couple of weeks, but he stepped up his regimen on Monday -- at least during the 30-minute window open to the media. In a passing drill, he took shotgun snaps and threw to tight ends, who ran routes with no defenders -- pretty basic stuff, the story said.

The New York Jets are down to two healthy quarterbacks.

Matt Flynn and Josh Johnson were among the Jets' cuts Saturday as they pared their roster to the mandatory 53-player limit.

Flynn and Johnson were signed this summer to compete for a backup role behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, who became the starter after Geno Smith had his jaw broken on Aug. 11 by a punch from then-teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali. Smith was expected to miss at least the first four games of the regular season.

The Jets' only other healthy quarterback is rookie Bryce Petty, a fourth-round pick out of Baylor.

The Jets announced via their Twitter account that quarterback Geno Smith was back on the practice field Monday.

Granted, Smith was wearing a red no-contact jersey, and didn’t have a helmet, but it’s a positive development for him after having his jaw broken by former teammate IK Enemkpali earlier this month (perhaps he should have been wearing red then).

The Jets were not thrilled when he was photographed doing some shirtless throwing two days after he had plates inserted into his face, explaining later their primary concern was infection so soon after his surgery.

He’s still expected to miss time in the regular season, with General Manager Mike Maccagnan saying last week he didn’t think it would be as many as eight, but probably closer to four.

Free agent quarterback Matt Flynn had a workout with the Jets on Friday, and Friday came and went without Flynn signing a contract.

So it would seem the Jets have decided not to acquire Flynn as the backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

But coach Todd Bowles said after Saturday's training camp practice that Flynn remains an option for the organization.

"We haven't ruled in or out anything yet," Bowles said. "We're still talking to him, and we'll see how it goes."

The Jets probably need an experienced No. 2 quarterback because Fitzpatrick is now their starter, since Geno Smith's jaw was broken when teammate IK Enemkpali punched him last week. Smith is out for six to 10 weeks.

The Jets' current No. 2 is rookie Bryce Petty, who is very much a long-term project player. The Jets really don't want to play Petty in significant game action this season.

Pete Carroll didn't see the end of the most memorable play of the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener, a kickoff that rookie Tyler Lockett returned 103 yards for a touchdown. He was on his backside, having collided with an official who was running down the sideline.

"I was jumping up and down for Tyler's return," the coach said afterward.

Hard to blame Carroll for getting a little excited. Lockett was that good Friday night as he turned his first NFL game into a showcase of the type of special-teams threat that the Seahwks drafted him to be. Lockett had another return of 46 yards, finishing with a 46.5-yard average on four attempts to go along with a punt return of 18 yards.

It was the touchdown, though, that Carroll couldn't stop talking about.

"I thought Lockett's 83-yard touchdown was pretty good. See, I didn't see the last 20," Carroll said. "But Lock did a great job tonight. He lit it up in kickoff return, punt return. It was great to see that. We all know that's exactly what we were hoping to see. He looked very special tonight."

When the Seahawks made what for them is a rare move to trade up for Lockett in the third round, they not only nabbed one of the more productive wide receivers in the draft but also one of its most dangerous returners, something Seattle's special teams largely have been missing the last two seasons, the story said.