Seahawks Suddenly Face A New QB Problem Before Cardinals Game

The Seahawks face the Cardinals in Week 2 with a reshuffled lineup as key players navigate through injuries.

The Seahawks head into Sunday’s Week 2 road trip to Arizona with a mixed injury picture: two players ruled out, two listed as questionable, and a few more trending in the right direction.

Seattle finished its prep week on Friday before facing the Cardinals, who opened the season by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14. The Seahawks, coming off a Week 1 win over the New England Patriots, are treating this one with the urgency that kind of start demands.

The biggest absence was already expected. Sam Darnold will not play because of a soft tissue/glute injury, and Seattle has been anticipating his return around Week 3 at the Washington Commanders or Week 4 at home against the Chargers. The team has said the injury did not involve a major hip problem or a fracture, but Darnold is still dealing with discomfort in his movement.

That means Lock gets the start under center. It will be his first start for Seattle since the two games in the 2023 season, and his last start overall came in 2024 with the New York Giants. He handled nearly all of the first-team work in practice, taking every offensive rep except the opening drive against New England in the 13-10 win.

Seattle’s other player ruled out is safety Ty Okada, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. The team has not said much publicly beyond noting that he does not need to go on IR. Rodney Thomas II stepped in against the Patriots and “played great,” and the Seahawks are looking for the same, or better, after he took all of the first-string reps this week.

The most uncertain name on the report is right guard Anthony Bradford. He’s questionable with knee and hip issues after being limited on Wednesday and Thursday before sitting out Friday’s practice. Christian Haynes has been working with the starters at right guard, though Bradford has played through limited practice time before and still suited up for every regular-season game and all three playoff games last year.

Second-year nickel/safety Nick Emmanwori is still working back from ankle surgery and has not yet fully practiced this season. There’s a sense he’s getting closer, and Seattle could make him a game-time decision depending on whether he’s healthy and conditioned enough to go. If he does play, the Seahawks may keep his workload down.

There’s also some better news on the offensive side. Second-year wide receiver Tory Horton could be available after missing the Patriots game with a hamstring injury. He was a full participant in all three practices this week.

Cornerback Josh Jobe, backup offensive tackle Josh Jones and wide receiver Cooper Kupp also showed up on the report with wrist, knee and back concerns, respectively, but they should be fine by kickoff.

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