Mike Macdonald isn’t ready to turn Seattle’s quarterback situation into a competition story.
After a Monday report suggested the Seahawks could ride Drew Lock again in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders even if Sam Darnold is cleared, Macdonald pushed the message in a different direction. The Seahawks head coach made it clear that health will drive the decision.
"If Sam can play, he's going to play," Macdonald said while speaking with reporters, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.
Darnold has been out since he suffered a glute injury on Seattle’s opening possession of the Week 1 win over the New England Patriots on Sept. 9.
The Seahawks described it as a "very unique soft-tissue" issue. Lock finished that game in relief and went 16-of-22 for 187 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers in the 13-10 victory.
Lock followed that up with another strong outing on Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals. Starting in place of Darnold, he completed 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Seattle’s 31-7 win. That performance naturally fueled the idea that Seattle might stick with him, especially with Washington now dealing with its own quarterback injury after Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow in Week 2.
Macdonald, though, framed the situation around Darnold’s recovery rather than Lock’s recent surge.
Earlier Monday, he said he did not know whether Darnold would be able to practice on Wednesday. Later, he gave a fuller update on the quarterback’s status and the team’s approach.
"Right now, the plan is for him to be out there in some capacity, and we'll go from there," Macdonald said about Darnold. "How much, we'll see from here to Wednesday on what that number is. But right now, that's the goal."
As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Seattle as a seven-point road favorite over Washington. If Lock starts again in Week 3, Darnold would then be aiming for a return in Seattle’s Week 4 home game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 4.
In Other News...
Former Seahawks Receiver Is Suddenly Becoming A Raiders Talking Point
Cody White has gone from a familiar name in Seattle to an unexpectedly useful piece for Las Vegas, and his latest outing only added to the attention. Elevated from the Raiders practice squad shortly before the game, the former Seahawks receiver made his presence felt on offense and on special teams, giving Las Vegas a steady lift in a spot where the team was clearly looking for someone to step forward.
For Seahawks fans, the interesting part is not just Whites production, but how quickly he has become part of a broader Raiders trend. Head coach Klint Kubiak has brought in multiple former Seattle players, and Whites recent two-touchdown game is the kind of performance that tends to keep a players name circulating well beyond one Sunday. The bigger question is how much of this is a one-week surge, and how much is the start of a larger role. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Nearly Turned Seahawks Scouting Into A Week 6 Feud
Mike Macdonalds first season in Seattle had an unexpected subplot well beyond the usual chess match of NFL coaching. In a recent interview, the Seahawks coach said Broncos head coach Sean Payton threatened to go public with accusations that Seattle had engaged in a Spygate-like cheating scheme after the Seahawks used publicly available fan-recorded training camp video to study Denver.
The issue never became a formal scandal because the Seahawks pushed back and were prepared to respond legally, and Payton ultimately backed off. Even so, the episode adds another layer to the leagues long memory of sign-stealing disputes, and it shows how something as ordinary as publicly accessible practice footage can still set off a tense standoff between two veteran coaching staffs. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Have A QB Decision Fans Didn't Expect
Sam Darnolds return to the practice field could put the Seahawks in an unexpected spot entering Sundays game against the Washington Commanders. Sidelined since Sept. 9 with a glute strain, Darnold is expected to work on Wednesday in some capacity, giving Seattle its first real update in a stretch that has kept the quarterback situation in flux.
Mike Macdonald left the door open for Darnold to play if the week goes well, but Drew Lock has made the conversation more complicated. In two games filling in, Lock has completed 35 of 48 passes with four touchdowns and no turnovers, giving Seattle reason to believe it can keep rolling even as the team weighs how soon to turn back to its starter. [Read more 🡒]