SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 11: Drake Thomas #32 of the Seattle Seahawks tackles George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks ruled out linebacker Drake Thomas for Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos, but wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and defensive tackle Leonard Williams will play.
All three players are dealing with ankle injuries. Thomas and Smith-Njigba were hurt during the second half of Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers, while Williams initially injured his ankle two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Chargers. He still played against the 49ers despite the injury.
Linebacker Chazz Surratt (calf) and running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) have also been ruled out.
The backstory:
Thomas was initially injured on a play late in the second quarter of the 49ers game. After being evaluated on the sidelined and in the locker room throughout halftime, Thomas returned to the game early in the third quarter and played 46 of 56 defensive snaps for Seattle in the game.
"He's a tough cookie," head coach Mike Macdonald said of Thomas.
Macdonald wasn't sure if a Sunday game, or even next week, would be enough to see Thomas make his way back into the lineup. With Thomas out, the Seahawks will turn to Tyrice Knight as the starter alongside Ernest Jones IV in Denver.
Knight has appeared in 37 career games for Seattle, making 14 starts over that span. While technically starting the season opener in a three-linebacker package against the New England Patriots, Knight's last game as an every down defender came last year against the Arizona Cardinals. Knight forced two fumbles from Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett that turned into touchdowns in a 44-22 victory.
"We're confident he'll play great, and the standard says the same on defense," Macdonald said. "So I know he's excited for the opportunity, and we're excited to see him play."
Charbonnet remained limited in his participation during the short week of practice for Seattle as he continues to work back from a torn ACL that required surgery in February. Charbonnet is just now reaching the eight-month mark since the surgery. While he's made significant progress, Macdonald noted the reality of his recovery and the fact he's this close to returning at all at this stage.
"He looks tremendous," Macdonald said. "I know he's working through it on how we're going to handle the situation. Right now, we're focused on playing a game. He's not playing this game, so he's going to be cheering us on, and he'll move forward. We're not even at nine months, guys. … It's pretty remarkable that we're even having this conversation."
It appears unlikely that running back Robert Henry Jr. will get the chance to make his debut for Seattle. Macdonald succinctly responded, "he's doing a good job" when asked about Henry after his second week of practice with the team after being signed off the Washington Commanders practice squad last week.
With Charbonnet still out, Emanuel Wilson will remain the starter as George Holani, Henry and Velus Jones Jr. remain the possible reserve options. However, Holani and Jones can both contribute on special teams, which makes them most likely to be active for the game.
Meanwhile, the Broncos ruled out cornerback Patrick Surtain II and safety Talanoa Hufanga to ankle injuries as well, leaving Denver's secondary short-handed against Seattle.
Roster Moves:
The Seahawks effectively reversed their roster moves from Tuesday that activated wide receiver Irvin Charles from the injured reserve list.
Charles was released and re-signed to the practice squad on Wednesday, with running back Velus Jones Jr. being re-signed to the active roster from the practice squad. Since both players are vested veterans, neither player needed to go through waivers, which allowed Seattle to make the swap uncontested.
"We'll see when he gets his opportunity," Macdonald said of Charles. "Guy that we're excited to acquire, and shout out to our personnel folks for making that happen, And he's a heck of a team player on special teams, and I think he can help us on offense as well in certain capacity. So that's the expectation when he gets his chance."
Injury Report:
The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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