The Seattle Seahawks have a couple options with wide receiver Percy Harvin and his roster spot while he recovers from hip surgery. There is no definitive timetable for Harvin's return, but if it's arthroscopic surgery to repair a partially torn labrum -- as has been suggested -- he will miss significant time.
Currently, Harvin is on the physically unable to perform list. If he stays on that list past the Aug. 31 deadline to reduce rosters down to 53 players, Harvin will have to miss the first six games of the season and won't count towards the roster. After those six games, he has a five-week window in which he can practice, and after resuming practicing, he would then have three weeks to rejoin the 53-man roster.
If he doesn't rejoin the 53-man roster in that window, he will be forced to miss the remainder of the season. In short, Harvin could make his debut in Week 7 (which would indicate an 11-week recovery time) or as late as Week 15.
There is also the option of placing him on injured reserve with a designation for return. Harvin would have to miss the first eight games of the season, but would be eligible to return for the Nov. 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Seattle has to wait until Sept. 3 to place a player on the IR with designation to return, however, which means Harvin would count toward the 53-man roster limit until that point.
Seattle will likely make their decision following Harvin's surgery this week. Losing him for a significant amount of time is a big deal, but it's not exactly a deathblow for the Seahawks' offense. Giving him ample time to recover is the best move for them going forward.
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