Drew Lock is back in the spotlight for Seattle, and this time the Seahawks are handing him the keys for a full start.
With Sam Darnold dealing with a hip and glute injury from Week 1 against the New England Patriots, Lock is set to make his first start for the franchise since the 2023 campaign when Seattle visits the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in an NFC West matchup.
Lock already showed what he can do in relief. He came off the bench against New England and threw for 187 yards, including a fourth-quarter touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that helped push the Seahawks to a win in their season opener.
"Drew's a proven, really good player in this league," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said.
"When he has started, he has played really good football, then when he's been on our team, since I've seen him play in person, he's a heck of a player here. Heck of a guy, heck of a teammate.
He's got a great balance about him of being a true professional, but also, he's a loose and focused guy, he's a warrior in the garden. All the things we want from our players, he's that at the quarterback position."
That confidence from Macdonald matches the way Seattle built this spot for Lock. The Seahawks signed him to a two-year deal last offseason and installed him as the backup because they believed he could step in and keep things moving if called upon. That chance never arrived last year, but Week 1 changed the picture quickly.
Against the Patriots, Lock needed a little time to settle in. By the fourth quarter, though, he looked fully comfortable and drove Seattle on a pair of scoring drives late, giving the Seahawks the points they needed to complete the comeback at home.
Backup quarterbacks don’t have to be spectacular if they can deliver when it matters. Lock did that in the opener, and now the job gets bigger with Darnold sidelined for the moment.
Darnold has not been placed on injured reserve, so this is not expected to be a long-term absence. For Seattle, the task is simple: Lock has to make the most of this stretch and help keep the team steady.
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Seahawks Free Agent Debuts Already Exposed An Early Depth Hierarchy
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Rodney Thomas II emerged as the most noticeable of the group, logging 70 defensive snaps and helping turn the opener with a key interception. Other fresh faces, including Dante Fowler Jr. and Emanuel Wilson, had quieter debuts, which is exactly the kind of first-week snapshot that can shape an early pecking order before the season has even had a chance to settle in. [Read more 🡒]