SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 2: Quenton Nelson #53 of the Seattle Seahawks blocks during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears at Lumen Field on November 2, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Brooke Sutton / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks are a banged-up roster heading into Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The team ruled out a total of seven players on Friday, including quarterback Sam Darnold, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, and newly acquired guard Quenton Nelson. Head coach Mike Macdonald said that Nelson is going to have a procedure done on an ailing knee and will be considered week-to-week.
Additionally, wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, left tackle Charles Cross, and defensive tackle Brandon Pili will each miss a second consecutive game.
The backstory:
Darnold was ruled out on Wednesday with a rib and quadriceps injuries sustained in Monday night's loss to the Chicago Bears.
Nelson's impending surgery was a new revelation on Friday after he did not participate in practice on Thursday. Grey Zabel will move back to left guard with Anthony Bradford reinserting into the lineup at right guard with Nelson out.
"So actually the grand plan was to just try to shake everything up because we felt like we were too comfortable," Macdonald joked of the quick change back to their prior deployment.
The team doesn't intend to put Nelson on injured reserve as they have just one more game before their bye week. Macdonald said the news on Nelson's knee was a fairly recent development as he'd been limited in practice on Wednesday.
Nelson had to complete a physical to complete the trade to Seattle from the Indianapolis Colts last week. Macdonald said the issue had been bothering him, but the team clearly felt like – whatever it is – wasn't enough to scuttle the trade.
"In short, he had something he was dealing with when he got here," Macdonald said. "We re-imaged it and it was aggravated to some degree. We've done the due diligence and everybody agrees it's best to take care of it now and play the long game.
"I think two things are true, it was something he was dealing with coming out of whatever game it was before the trade, and I think it's been aggravated since he got here."
Williams left the game against Chicago early with a shoulder stinger and did not return to the lineup.
Shaheed (knee), Nwosu (ankle), Cross (ankle) and Pili (back) will miss a second straight game with their injuries. Linebacker Connor O'Toole is questionable with a foot injury.
Drew Lock will start for the second time this year against the Cardinals. He completed 19-of-26 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 31-7 win over Arizona in Week 2.
"He's done a great job," Macdonald said. "And Jalen Milroe has done a great job as well. It's been a tag-team effort to get ready, and I thought both guys (I've) loved their attitude. The details, all those things, they're in a good spot.
The team signed quarterback Adrian Martinez to their practice squad on Wednesday, and he could be elevated to serve as an emergency third quarterback option for the game. However, the team being without seven active roster players on Sunday maxes out the number of game day inactive spots the team has available.
They need their practice squad elevations to be ready to contribute, so roster moves could be coming on Saturday. A backup tackle will be needed with Cross out, and an additional defensive lineman would make sense with both Williams and Pili out.
Injury Report:
The Source: Information in this story comes from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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