After playing most of the NFC Championship game and all of the Super Bowl with a torn labrum, Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas III has passed his physical and has been activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list since recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Thomas had been itching to get back onto the field, and Wednesday was a step in the right direction. He now has a very good chance to play week one at St. Louis when before his status was in doubt for the Seahawks' opening game.

This doesn't mean he will start to practice right away or will be ready for the first preseason game on August 14th versus Denver, but this does mean that he can get back on the field immediately and has made significant progress in his recovery.

When he originally got the surgery done, his status for the opening game was in doubt, but it looks as if he is a bit ahead of schedule which is great news for Seattle. The timetable for the recovery is 6-8 months, but knowing Thomas, the Seahawks had said that he would be ready to go and they look like they are living up to what they said.

With Kam Chancellor in the midst of a holdout, getting one of their safeties back in that vaunted Legion of Boom is a good sign for a Seahawks team looking to get to their third straight Super Bowl.

Thomas has been out on the practice field on the sideline even with his uniform on just itching to get back on the field. He has wanted to get in on some drills on the side and I'm sure Thomas is psyched to get back out there. Many of the Seahawks say that they hate to miss practice and Thomas is definitely one of those guys.

Seattle has been a little thin on the back side with secondary players making up three of the four players that were on the PUP list to begin camp. The other two from the secondary were cornerbacks Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon. In Thomas' absence, it has been Steven Terrell filling in at the free safety spot.

There is no doubt that if you are a Seahawks fan, it is good to see one of the best safeties in the league and a big leader for this team back on the field.