Seattle Seahawks center Jalen Sundell is expected to return to practice this week off injured reserve, head coach Mike Macdonald said during his media availability on Monday.

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Sundell, who started the first nine games of the season at center, has missed the past four games after suffering a knee injury in Seattle’s Week 10 rout of the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 9. Backup center Olu Oluwatimi has started the past four games in Sundell’s place.

Macdonald said “we’ll see” when asked whether Sundell will play center or guard going forward.

There’s been speculation that Seattle could consider keeping Oluwatimi at center and sliding Sundell over to right guard, where Anthony Bradford has struggled at times this season.

Sundell, a second-year undrafted offensive lineman out of North Dakota State, has the positional flexibility to play center or guard. Oluwatimi is solely a center.

Sundell and Oluwatimi were in a two-man battle for the starting center job throughout training camp. Sundell ultimately won the competition after Oluwatimi dealt with a back injury that sidelined him for all three preseason games.

Bradford showing improvement

Bradford, who has started all 13 games at right guard this season, had a particularly rough first seven games. Through Week 7, he ranked 73rd out of 82 guards in Pro Football Focus grading, including 79th in pass block grading. During that span, he allowed two sacks and 17 pressures.

But since Seattle’s Week 8 bye, Bradford has played much better. Over the past six games, he ranks 52nd out of 81 guards in PFF grading, including 30th in pass block grading. And during that span, he’s allowed no sacks and just three pressures.

“AB graded out as our highest offensive lineman (Sunday), and he’s playing hard and he’s got a great punch,” Macdonald said. “I think his overall confidence is probably at a high point in his career at this point – practicing really well, practices hard. I mean, doing all those steps that it takes to end up (playing) good football out on the field.

“And I know there’s some plays that are minuses or plays that aren’t up to par, but there’s a lot of great plays as well, and I thought he had a good game yesterday.”

The latest on Arroyo

Macdonald said rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo could miss Seattle’s upcoming game against the Indianapolis Colts after suffering a knee injury in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Arroyo, a second-round draft pick out of Miami, has 15 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown this season. He has played 39.5% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps.

“Just working through it right now, but I’d say that this week is probably in jeopardy for him,” Macdonald said.

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