A backup lineman could be blocking for the backup quarterback.
Sam Darnold‘s recovery from his glute injury has his coach “optimistic.” For his return when? No one’s sure.
And it appears Nick Emmanwori‘s season debut may have to wait. Again. That leaves the Seahawks in the same situation they were last week at safety.
The Super Bowl champions’ injury report for their first NFC West game this season Sunday at Arizona (1-0) has Darnold, the starting quarterback, plus starting safety Ty Okada (hamstring) out. No surprise there. Neither practiced this week.
Emmanwori and starting right guard Anthony Bradford are questionable to play at the Cardinals.
Signs are both are unlikely to play.
Emmanwori hasn’t practiced fully since June. The safety coach Mike Macdonald uses as a hybrid and blitzing linebacker had arthroscopic knee surgery in July.
Asked following another limited practice for Emmanwori Friday if the second-year dynamo has to practice fully before he can play, Macdonald was coy.
“He needs a limited practice enough to be questionable for the game,” the head coach said.
He grinned. Why give the Cardinals any more of a read on his game status than questionable?
Bradford has had a knee issue for weeks. He played on it last week in the NFL kickoff game Seattle won over New England. Then this week Bradford got a new hip injury. The right guard did not practice Friday, after being limited Wednesday and Thursday.
Christian Haynes, the third-year veteran Bradford has been beating out for the job, apparently would start at Arizona if Bradford can’t.
Darnold’s strained glute did not prevent him from doing work this practice week, the QB did not participate in any of the actual practices. He was in cleats on the grass, outdoor field throwing on the side before practice Wednesday.
Drew Lock will make his first start for Seattle since December 2023 on Sunday at Arizona.
Asked how Darnold’s rehabilitation went this week, Macdonald said: “Great, great.
“On the way back. Is it next week? Is it the week after? Is it the week after that? Not sure.
“But, I’m optimistic, let’s put it that way.”
Okada’s hamstring and Emmanwori’s continued path back to being able to practice fully mean the team is likely to elevate Rodney Thomas from the practice squad to start in the back of the defense with veteran Julian Love for the second consecutive game. Thomas impressed in the opener. The former Indianapolis Colts starting safety tackled well and tipped a deep pass in the fourth quarter by New England‘s Drake Maye to Seahawks teammate Nehemiah Pritchett for an interception.
Emmanwori’s injury has changed how Macdonald and the Seahawks play defense. With him last year Seattle played the most nickel and dime defenses with five and six defensive backs. Last week against New England without Emmanwori, the Seahawks didn’t play a single defensive snap in dime.
They played more three off-ball linebackers, more like a 4-3 scheme, that they did at all last season when they had two linebackers on the field with the extra defensive backs about 70% of the time. Last week Tyrice Knight played 20% of the time with usual starting weakside linebacker Drake Thomas flanking middle linebacker Ernest Jones.
Because of Emmanwori’s and Okada’s ongoing situtation, and the fact playing that way yielding only 10 points by New England given to the Patriots by Seahawks mistakes, expect more of the same from Macdonald against the Cardinals.
to practice soon?
Zach Charbonnet is on the physically-unable-to-perform list following his reconstructive knee surgery in February. By NFL rules he must miss at least the first four weeks of games.
But a recent change in league rules allows players on the PUP list to begin practicing after his team’s second game. That makes Charbonnet eligible to practice for the first time next week, beginning on Wednesday. That’s the Seahawks’ first day of practice for their week-three game at Washington.
Macdonald said Friday Charbonnet could be practicing soon.
“Zach’s doing great. We are getting down to him possibly finding a date when he can start practicing again,” the head coach said. “That’s coming, coming soon.”
Macdonald said they don’t yet have an exact start date for Charbonnet practicing.
When he does begin practicing, league rules give him a 21-day window in which he doesn’t count against the 53-man roster. He still can’t play until after Seattle’s fourth game. That’s Oct. 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lumen Field.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
