When Earl Thomas III underwent surgery early this offseason to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder, the Seattle Seahawks quickly expressed optimism that their star safety would return in time for the start of the regular season. This week, ET III showed that he’s right on track to make that comeback.

No. 29 participated in a voluntary organized team activity (OTA) at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Wash., this Tuesday, running in the early part of positional drills with his fellow Legion of Boom defenders. He remained on the sidelines during the team session, but as Stephen Cohen of Seattle PI wrote, Earl wasn’t simply a spectator.

“(Earl) looked to be taking some of the most intense mental reps in the history of football, which is simply par for the course for Thomas,” Cohen wrote. “The All-Pro spent much of practice bent over at the waist, peering intently at whatever drill was going on in front of him. He also occasionally barked out instructions to his defensive teammates, particularly in red zone drills, when he placed himself behind the end zone and surveyed the field like he was playing in his third-straight Super Bowl.”

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ET was named All-Pro for the fourth straight year last year, but he suffered a separated left shoulder in the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. He missed just one three-play series before returning and helping to fuel Seattle’s miraculous comeback victory. He then played every snap of the team’s Super Bowl XLIX defeat to the New England Patriots.

After the season, it was revealed that Earl had torn the labrum cartilage in his shoulder, and the former Texas Longhorn underwent surgery. He has spent the early part of the offseason healing and rehabbing, and his appearance at OTAs is a major stepping stone on his road to full recovery.

RELATED LINKS

  • Seahawks OTAs Notebook: Earl Thomas takes mental reps (Seattle PI, June 2, 2015)
  • Earl Thomas a surprising limited participant in Tuesday’s OTA (ESPN, June 2, 2015)
  • Earl Thomas gets some work in OTAs (Pro Football Talk, June 2, 2015)
  • Impressions from Seahawks’ Tuesday OTA (Seattle Times, June 2, 2015)
  • OTAs: Day Five Photos (Seahawks.com, June 2, 2015)