Russell Okung was on the practice wearing a helmet on Thursday, participating in some individual drills. He wasn't going full speed per se, but one week after Okung injured his left ankle in the exhibition opener at San Diego, it's clear that this injury won't sideline him nearly as long as the two high ankle sprains he suffered last year.

"Russell is not as bad as he was," coach Pete Carroll said, referring to Okung's pair of ankle injuries in 2010. "There's no doubt. He's way, way ahead of where he was so we know that he's maybe a week away or two weeks away at the most."

Carroll wouldn't go so far as guaranteeing Okung will be back for the regular-season opener against San Francisco, but obviously this is a positive sign.

"As soon as possible," Okung said. "As you can see, it's coming along a lot faster than I thought."

Tyler Polumbus will start at left tackle for Saturday's exhibition game against Minnesota.

"We can't hold our breath and wait for Russell, now," Carroll said. "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."