The Seahawks will head into Sunday’s game against the Raiders without Leonard Williams, and that gives Fernando Mendoza a little breathing room in his first NFL start.
Williams didn’t practice at all this week because of a stinger and was ruled out Friday, taking one of Seattle’s biggest defensive pieces off the field. For a rookie quarterback making his debut, that matters. It doesn’t make the job easy, but it does remove a major interior force from the picture.
Seattle’s injury list is not short. Sam Darnold, Charles Cross and Quenton Nelson are also out, leaving the Seahawks with four confirmed absences as they travel to Las Vegas. On the other side, Drew Lock is expected to start again while dealing with right elbow and oblique injuries, though he carries no game designation after being limited all week.
Mike Macdonald said Friday that Williams is still not ready for contact, even if he can move around and keep his conditioning. “It’s one of those things where it’s not good until it is.
It’s not good yet,” Macdonald said. “Stingers are more of a contact thing.”
He also said Williams remains in meetings while trying to stay fresh.
From Seattle’s perspective, the loss changes the middle of the defense. Byron Murphy II pointed out that there isn’t much pro film on Mendoza, but he also stressed that the rookie can make every throw. That means the Seahawks still have a scouting puzzle to solve, even without Williams in the mix.
The Raiders’ move to trade Kirk Cousins to Minnesota this week opened the door for the No. 1 overall pick, and Sunday becomes the start of that new chapter at quarterback. With Williams sidelined, the middle of the pocket may be a little cleaner for Mendoza, which could help him settle in before Seattle’s pressure starts to close.
Seattle did get some good news elsewhere on defense. Uchenna Nwosu went from two limited practices to a full session Friday and has no game designation. Brandon Pili also returned to full participation after missing Wednesday and Thursday with a back injury.
There were positive signs on offense, too, even with the bigger injuries hanging over the week. Cross briefly returned to limited work Thursday before sitting out Friday with his ankle issue, while Nelson missed the entire week with a knee injury. Anthony Bradford improved to full participation Friday after two limited practices.
At receiver, Rashid Shaheed was a full participant all week despite a knee injury, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba returned to full work Thursday and Friday after resting Wednesday. Neither player has a game designation.
The rest of the defensive report was mostly encouraging. Patrick O’Connell and Connor O’Toole both finished the week with full practices after earlier limitations, and Jarran Reed returned Friday after missing two days for personal reasons.
Derick Hall missed Friday after two limited sessions because of a back injury, but he also has no game designation. That leaves Seattle with four confirmed absences and no additional players officially listed as questionable.
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