Seattle Seahawks rule out Sam Darnold, Drew Lock to start against Cardinals
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 09: Drew Lock #2 of the Seattle Seahawks lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field on September 9, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks officially ruled out Sam Darnold with a gluteus injury as Drew Lock will get the start at quarterback against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday.
"He'll get all the reps. He's our starter this week, and we'll operate accordingly," head coach Mike Macdonald said of Lock. "Drew's known he's going to start here for a while. I'm looking forward to seeing him practice today, just like I am Sam when he's playing."
Lock was 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown for the Seahawks in relief of Darnold last week against the New England Patriots. Darnold left the game after just five plays after a sack from former Seahawks pass rusher Dre'Mont Jones.
Macdonald said they will move forward with just Lock and Jalen Milroe as their two quarterbacks for the time being.
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Macdonald said they don't anticipate putting Darnold on injured reserve. The Seahawks said on Monday that Darnold is dealing with a "very unique" muscle injury to his gluteus, but it's expected to be a short-term issue. With an injured reserve stint requiring a minimum four-game absence, that would seemingly indicate Darnold is expected to be able to return in a shorter time frame.
"He's killing it on his rehab. He's doing a great job. He's doing a lot right now. He's just he's not going to be able to play this week," Macdonald said.
It will be Lock's third start with Seattle in three seasons with the team. He started two games in relief of Geno Smith in 2023 against the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Lock went 44-for-64 for 477 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while being sacked six times in those two starts. He went 1-1 with a win over the Eagles for Seattle.
"Drew's a joyful guy. He's a great guy. He's got his own personality, which we love," Macdonald said. "He's got his style of playing quarterback, which is what we want here. Obviously, we want to be within the scheme and how we're training our guys, but you got to be yourself too, and Drew's definitely that. We're looking forward to it.
Lock has made 28 starts in his career with the Seahawks, Denver Broncos and New York Giants. He'll get most of the quarterback reps in practice this week as Seattle prepares to face the Cardinals. However, one key difference will be who the backup quarterback is this week.
Jalen Milroe.
Unlike Lock, Milroe doesn't have that kind of starting or backup experience in the NFL. The limited chances Milroe got last year to see the field as a rookie were for specific plays as effectively a gadget player. He's never been asked to play traditional quarterback in regular season games. With Darnold out, that possibility now exists if something were to happen to Lock.
Last week, wide receiver Cooper Kupp said Lock had effectively taken no reps in practice before being called upon to play against New England. With his experience, that was an ask he was able to handle. Milroe may need a bit more work in practice to be ready, if called upon.
"He's not going to get no reps. Let's put it that way," Macdonald said of Milroe.
"Jalen's worked incredibly hard, and I think there's been returns for his efforts, which is great. You'd love to see that pay off for a guy with that type of work ethic. I mean, these guys have been preparing like they've been like they're going to play for the last two years. So really, nothing changes much on that end in terms of mentality."
Similarly, Lock will now get most of the practice reps with the offensive starters that he doesn't get while backing up.
"There's not a whole lot of conversations that happen with Sam that Drew's not right there having that same conversation," Kupp said of his chemistry with Lock. "I mean those guys work so well together, you know. So you know, just like Drew's always been in Sam's back pocket in terms of bouncing things off of each other, collaborating together. You know, Sam can be that same exact thing for Drew this week."
The backstory:
Darnold was injured just five plays into Seattle's season opener against the Patriots on Wednesday night. Darnold was evaluated on the sidelines before being taken to the locker room and eventually away from the stadium for further evaluation.
Jones landed hard on Darnold while his knee was at a 90-degree angle to the turf, which seemingly directed force back up into his hip area. The Seahawks have since ruled out any damage to Darnold's hip, characterizing the injury as one to his gluteus muscle instead. Initial concern had been for a possible hip fracture, which was ruled out by postgame X-rays and scans.
Darnold was back in the building with the team on Wednesday and was briefly seen out on the field by reporters ahead of practice.
Featured
Seattle Seahawks say Sam Darnold absence expected to be short-term with 'very unique' muscle injury
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has a soft-tissue injury to his gluteus muscle, but no issue with his hip joint, a team spokesperson said on Monday.
The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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