Seahawks' Carroll 'pleased' to have Brown back ahead of opener

The Seattle Seahawks welcomed left tackle Duane Brown back at practice Monday after he refused to train for weeks without a new contract.

Although Brown hasn't signed an extension, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll confirmed the offensive lineman will start Seattle's opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

"He's ready to go," Carroll said, according to Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk. "We're pleased to have him.

"He's really healthy right now. I'm really thrilled about that for him. It's one of the things we realized about the process of it that we would not wear him down at all during camp, like any player. So he's got fresh legs coming."

The Seahawks and Brown recently discussed potential solutions for his contract issue, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Seattle reportedly doesn't plan to extend Brown's deal, but the two sides have talked about adjusting the pact.

"We're really ready to play football right now," Carroll said. "Everything that needed to be taken care of is taken care of."

Brown is entering the last season of a three-year, $34.5-million extension inked in July 2018. The 36-year-old earns a base salary of $10 million in 2021, according to Spotrac.

The five-time Pro Bowler has been a key member of the Seahawks' offensive line since joining the team through a trade from the Houston Texans in 2017. He started all 16 games for Seattle last season, posting his best individual campaign since 2012, according to PFF.

Seattle also saw safety Quandre Diggs return to practice Monday. Diggs hadn't practiced since deciding to sit out ahead of the Seahawks' final preseason game while eyeing an extension. He racked up 64 tackles and a career-high five interceptions through 16 starts last year.