Sam Darnold is officially off the injury report and starting for your Seahawks on Sunday against the Commanders. Coach Mike Macdonald confirmed the news on Friday, and it’s a massive sigh of relief after what felt like an eternity watching him sidelined. Darnold missed almost all of our Week 1 opener against the Patriots and then all of Week 2 versus the Cardinals with that glute injury. The timeline for his return was totally up in the air, but he’s clearly busted his tail making significant strides in recovery to get back on the field. This is exactly what we needed to hear coming into a crucial Week 3 matchup.
Darnold’s Back, But The Depth Chart Is Still Moving
Yeah, Darnold’s back and that’s huge. And who’s backing him up? Drew Lock, who’s been showing out with two great performances while Darnold was out. Jalen Milroe is still our presumed emergency third quarterback, which is good to know for depth. But let’s be real, the focus is all on Darnold now. Can he pick up where he left off before the injury scare and lead this offense? We’ve seen flashes, and now it’s time to see what he can do healthy and focused. This team needs a consistent presence under center, and Darnold stepping back in could be the spark we’ve been waiting for.
The Secondary Is Taking A Major Hit This Weekend
Now for the tough news, and honestly, it’s a gut punch: our safety situation is a mess. Julian Love’s calf tightened up in practice, and the team is holding him out of this weekend’s game. This stings, especially since Love had an outstanding start to 2026, grabbing an interception in both games. Remember, he missed half of last regular season with injuries, so this feels like a terrible case of déjà vu. And to make things worse, Ty Okada’s hamstring still hasn’t healed up. That means our starting safety tandem for Sunday will be Rodney Thomas II and A.J. Finley. Expect to see at least one of Maxen Hook or D’Anthony Bell elevated from the practice squad on Saturday to give us some much-needed depth. It’s a huge test for this defense, no doubt. The good news is, aside from nose tackle Brandon Pili being questionable with a concussion and neck injury, our injury list isn’t nearly as bad as the Commanders’. They’ll be without guard Sam Cosmi, tight end Chig Okonkwo, linebacker Frankie Luvu, and safety Nick Cross.
What’s Next: A Big Test For The Emerald City
So, we’ve got Darnold back under center, but a completely reshuffled secondary. Sunday’s game against the Commanders is going to be an absolute slugfest, and it’s going to show us exactly what this team is made of. Can Darnold shake off the rust and ignite the offense? Can Thomas and Finley step up and prevent big plays? The 12s will be watching every snap, ready to cheer them on. Get ready, Seattle, this is going to be a wild one!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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