The Seattle Seahawks will open their road slate and their first divisional game of the season tomorrow shorthanded, and right guard Anthony Bradford is now officially part of that list.
Bradford has been ruled out for the Cardinals game after dealing with a knee injury that surfaced before the opener and then a hip injury that popped up during the most recent week of practice. His status slid from limited work on Wednesday and Thursday to no participation on Friday, which made the decision feel inevitable. Bradford started all 20 games for Seattle last season.
That absence matters for a Seahawks offense already trying to get by without Sam Darnold. With starting safety Ty Okada also out and starting slot corner Nick Emmanwori possibly unavailable, Seattle is dealing with more lineup uncertainty than it would like heading into a road divisional matchup. Bradford may be viewed as the weak spot on the offensive line, but he still brings continuity, and that’s not something the Seahawks can afford to lose lightly.
The move opens the door for Christian Haynes, Seattle’s third-round pick in 2024. Haynes came into the league with expectations that he would become a dependable NFL starter quickly, but that hasn’t happened.
His first two seasons have gone poorly, with limited playing time and rough results when he has been on the field. He has also struggled with the basic power needed at the position, while not showing the movement ability to shift to left guard or the snapping skill to try center.
There was at least a little reason for optimism in the 2026 preseason, when Haynes put together a few promising reps and looked like a different player from the one Seattle had seen before. If he can carry that into tomorrow’s game, it would be a meaningful step forward.
For Bradford, the timing is rough. It’s a contract year, and even with his limitations, he could still be in line for a second deal worth tens of millions of dollars.
But that gets harder to chase if he’s not on the field, especially if Haynes steps in and the offense doesn’t appear to lose much. Bradford needs to get healthy and rebound quickly.
Haynes’s opportunity, though, goes beyond one game. His contract runs through 2027, while Bradford’s expires after next season. Beau Stephens does not look ready yet, and there is a path where Haynes becomes the starter at right guard next year and uses his own contract year as the springboard for a stronger NFL career.
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From there, the Seahawks had enough variety to keep control, with Drew Lock finding Jaxon-Smith Njigba for a touchdown, Jason Myers adding a field goal and A.J. Barner finishing a drive on the ground. Arizona never found a way back into it after the second-half surge, and Seattles defense and special teams gave the offense plenty of breathing room to close out a lopsided win. [Read more 🡒]