The Seattle Seahawks issued a cryptic but encouraging update regarding the health of injured quarterback Sam Darnold Monday.
While the precise nature of his injury remains ambiguous, the update points to Darnold returning to the field sooner than later.
Per the Seahawks, Darnold sustained a "very unique soft-tissue." The injury is actually to a glute muscle rather than his hip and is considered "short-term."
Here's the full statement released by the Seahawks Monday evening:
"Darnold, who was injured on a sack that ended Seattle's first drive, has a very unique soft-tissue injury, but the hip joint is unaffected by the injury. While there is no firm timeline on Darnold's return, it is considered a short-term injury."

#unique #soft #tissue

Week 1 was a great reminder of why we all love fantasy football.
At quarterback, Bryce Young scored more points than Drake Maye, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray and Sam Darnold combined. At running back, two Bears finished inside the top-10 while Christian McCaffrey was out-carried by a rookie. The current WR1, Jalen ****** er, had more fantasy points than Puka Nacua, DeVonta Smith, Drake London, George Pickens and Ja'Marr Chase combined. Finally, the currently list of TE1s includes Mike Gesicki, Pat Freiermuth, T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant, Cole Kmet and Kenyon Sadiq. Fun.
Thankfully, we can already start looking ahead to Week 2.
Here's an early look at Week 2 fantasy football rankings. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception) and full PPR to see where players rank in your league's format. Scroll to the bottom to view the complete rankings.
Our team at USA TODAY Sports has you covered with plenty of content to help with your Week 2 waiver wire and roster decisions. Looking for up-to-date player news? We've got it. Wondering who the best waiver-wire claims are? We have that covered, so you can make your pickups. Need to know what players you can drop? We have that as well. We also have a list of the eight best buy low/sell high candidates and our biggest winners and losers from Week 1.

#drake #looking #Football #list

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock is preparing to lead the team in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals with Sam Darnold set to sit out for the game.
Lock gave the Seahawks a timely lift in the opener, stepping in after Darnold left the game due to injury and delivering a quality performance that led to a win. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, and took care of the football in the affair.
Lock is equipped to provide Seattle with quick decisions, controlled passing and a balanced rushing attack against Arizona. Lock's mobility will be useful if the Cardinals create a great amount of pressure and force him to scramble outside the pocket.
The larger test will be maintaining that composure for a full game on the road. Seattle will need Lock to protect the football, keep the offense on schedule and capitalize on scoring chances. If he does, the Seahawks will have a realistic path to another important early-season victory.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: What to expect from Seahawks QB Drew Lock against Cardinals

#lock #drew #Football

It's always tough navigating that first injury report coming out of preseason and training camp. Some injuries are downplayed and others weren't as serious as initially thought. We also get some surprises (we're looking at you Raiders and Brock Bowers).
But we've gotten through most of the action for Week 1 and can lookahead to which injuries we'll need to track going into the second slate of the season. Below is all the latest news and updates, plus some fantasy football ******* ysis to help with weekly lineup tinkering.
Kyler Murray, MIN (concussion)
Sam Darnold, SEA (hip)
Murray: It was a tough Minnesota debut for Murray, exiting early in the contest after a questionable hit from Packers S Javon Bullard. Prior to the hit, Murray had thrown an egregious interception into triple coverage. Murray did not return, finishing the game 3-for-5 for 18 yards and the INT, plus two carries for nine yards.

#bowers

The Chicago Bears head into Year 2 of the Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson era. They earned a ton of success in the first year of this QB-coach partnership, and this season they are hungry for much more. Another Trojan alumnus, Sam Darnold, made history last season, becoming the first Trojan quarterback to start in and win the Super Bowl. Caleb Williams will try to join Sam as a Super Bowl winner this season.
Here is how Week 1 will pan out for Caleb Williams and the Bears:
The Carolina Panthers' pass defense ranks 28th in the NFL heading into this season. They will be no match for Caleb and the young pass catchers he has. Caleb Williams has weapons with the versatility and speed to find the end zone early and often in this game. I expect each of the Bears' pass catchers to make a couple of plays. Caleb and Ben Johnson will lean on the pass attack, and big plays will set the tone in this game. Caleb will finish with 300 passing yards on Sunday.
All training camp long, Caleb Williams was finding Colston Loveland. Loveland carved up the Bears' defense every practice, it seemed. The trust is there between the two potential stars. Their connection will be special this season, and I think they will get off to a hot start against Carolina. Loveland will explode for 100 yards receiving in Game 1 and will help Caleb get over 300 yards through the air with ease.
The Bears' passing attack will be lethal on Sunday. Caleb Williams will deliver a top-quarterback-level performance. The run game will be a very big complement to it. This game has a very good chance of being a high-scoring type of game. The Bears' offense will showcase why it had a lot of excitement and high expectations heading into the season. Everyone on the offense has a year under their belt with Ben Johnson. That experience will bode extremely well for the Bears this year. It will be evident in Game 1. I think the Bears will win this game in part due to their offense, and the Bears' offense will finish the week being viewed as the best in the league.

#bears #pass

Patriots news: Dre'Mont Jones grabs attention with NSFW shot at Seahawks appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Dre'Mont Jones made sure New England Patriots fans had something to talk about. That's even after a brutal opening-night defeat to his former team. Following the Patriots' 13-10 Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Jones took to Instagram. He posted an in-game photograph of himself driving Seattle QB Sam Darnold into the turf. The outside linebacker made the message unmistakable by tagging an account handle reading @f***_the_seahawks in the bottom-right corner of the post. The NSFW jab quickly spread across social media.
Jones spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Seattle after signing a three-year contract. However, his tenure ultimately ended with friction before he landed in New England. Now a key piece of Mike Vrabel's Patriots defense, Jones appears to have plenty of unfinished business with his former team. His latest post made that abundantly clear.
The Patriots' 0–1 start already carries plenty of frustration. New England's defense dominated for much of the opener. They limited Seattle and knocked Darnold from the game. However, the offense collapsed late as Drake Maye threw three second-half interceptions. The Patriots also lost prized wide receiver AJ Brown to an ankle injury. That added another concern to an otherwise highly anticipated campaign. With Christian Gonzalez recently securing a record-setting four-year extension, expectations remain high in Foxborough. New England now gets an extended mini-bye before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, Jones has added another spark to a rivalry that suddenly feels far from settled.
Related: Patriots add former Bills defensive lineman on $6 million contract

#former #dre 'mont #nsfw

It appears the Minnesota Vikings lit a top 10 draft pick on fire by selecting J.J. McCarthy. Remarkably, it might not matter.
Like in 2024, head coach Kevin O'Connell has a high profile reclamation project ready to lead his offense. Sam Darnold got his team to 14 wins that fall. Now Kyler Murray gets the opportunity to do the same. He'll be flanked by the league's best wide receiving corps and a defense stuck on "shaken hornets nest" at all times.
Murray is playing on a one-year prove-it deal. He'll test himself against one of the toughest and deepest divisions in the NFL. Let's take a look at how Minnesota got here and what its 2026 might look like.
There's still time for JJ McCarthy to embody the potential the Vikings saw in him when they made him the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. But, uh, hoooo buddy, it doesn't look good. His 66.5 percent on-target throw rate ranked 33rd of 33 qualified quarterbacks, nearly three full points below No. 32 Caleb Williams. Since Pro Football Reference began charting that stat in 2019, only one player has been worse: Anthony Richardson in 2019. Ooooof.
That leaves Murray with a path to redemption after his Arizona Cardinals career flamed out. He's been a nest made of vacated promise after his Pro Bowl 2021 season. His 0.097 EPA per dropback since then ranks 20th out of 33 quarterbacks to play at least 1,000 snaps, just behind a diminished Kirk Cousins. But this is his age 29 season. But he was a useful dual-threat presence as recently as 2024 (where, admittedly, Arizona went 8-9) and now gets the most talented supporting cast of his career.

#minnesota #Vikings #mccarthy #since

The Seattle Seahawks will likely not have quarterback Sam Darnold available for at least Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. Darnold was sacked by Dre'Mont Jones on the opening drive of Seattle's 13-10 win over the New England Patriots, leaving the game with what was described as a hip injury. Thankfully for Darnold and the Super Bowl champions, there was no fracture based on MRI findings, and any absence figures to be short-term and not long-term.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero, who worked for Netflix on the San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams broadcast from Australia, provided some more details on Darnold's injury. He backed up Mike Macdonald's claim that Darnold was dealing with a muscle issue, but did say it was an "unusual" type of strain.
If Darnold ended up on injured reserve at any point before the Cardinals game, he would not be available until at least Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. For as long as the timetable leans toward returning sooner, then perhaps we'll see Darnold back in action at the start of October, when the Seahawks have a two-game homestand versus the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers.
Drew Lock will serve as the starting quarterback while Darnold recovers, while Jalen Milroe would be the backup.

#darnold #seahawks #cardinals #angeles

More news keeps dropping regarding Sam Darnold's hip injury, and it continues to be relatively positive for the Seattle Seahawks quarterback.
Netflix's NFL Insider Tom Pelissero reported Thursday night that tests revealed that Darnold has "an unusual muscle strain in his hip area."
Per the report, the Seahawks initially feared that Darnold had sustained a fractured hip socket that could have threatened his season. Testing ruled that injury out.
Darnold will seek further opinions on the injury, per the report, but injured reserve is not being considered at this point. As previously reported, Drew Lock is expected to start in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. Beyond that, Darnold's game status is unclear.
Lock took over at quarterback after Darnold's injury on the first drive Wednesday night and led a 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots in the NFL's season opener.

#season

Shortly after halftime of their Week 1 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots extended their lead to 10-0 and looked to be in a great position to coast to a victory. The Seahawks had lost starting quarterback Sam Darnold to injury, and although the New England offense didn't look great, Seattle had done very little in the first half.
However, the game shifted near the end of the third quarter when the Seahawks cut the lead to 10-3, and the start of the fourth quarter signaled a stretch so brutal that one of its magnitude hasn't been seen in 30 years.
Here's a look at the fourth quarter in a possession-by-possession breakdown:
Patriots: 6 plays, 23 yards - ends in an interception
Seahawks: 5 plays, 67 yards - touchdown

#seahawks #england #look #possession

Third quarter, down 10-0: "Well, it's not like 2025 started that great, either."
Fourth quarter, as Drake Maye lofts the illest-advised pass of his career to your new favorite player, Joshua Jobe, Esq.: "Knew it. They had it all the way."
With a season-opening 13-10 rope-a-doping of Maye and his New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks began their Super Bowl defense the right way. The confounding questions surrounding the secondary were answered with three picks in the final frame, and the thorniest question about depth was answered when Drew Lock essentially saved the day in relief of Sam Darnold.
Yes, it took Seattle three nigh-unwatchable quarters to get the bugs out. But once that fumigation was done, we were treated to an evening of fun-igation, punctuated with everything a championship team does when it's not quite ready to relinquish its **** le. Including having a kicker who knocks 'em through the uprights. Did I mention they answered just about all the preseason questions we had?
But first, as is their modus operandi, the Hawks had to torture us like 53 grown versions of Sid Phillips, or maybe the pigeons from that old Bud Light commercial, you know, the ones who see **** targets on every car. Yes that's it, felt like **** targets. Every time something cool happened, something stinky hit the fan and made you guano tear your hair out.

#quarter

Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold received good news Thursday about the right hip injury he suffered in a Seahawks NFL victory over New England, but a return timetable remains uncertain.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald told Seattle radio station KIRO on Thursday that Darnold's injury is a muscle strain rather than joint damage after Seattle's 13-10 home win over the Patriots on Wednesday.
While multiple reports said Darnold is expected to miss next week's game against Arizona, Darnold has likely avoided a long-term absence.
Darnold exited the NFL 2026 season opener after only five plays because of a hip injury suffered when he was sacked, limping to the locker room.
"The hip is intact and it's good. It's more of like a muscle thing," Macdonald said. "So that's good news."

#england

NFL QB pressure index 2026: Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert among QBs with most to prove originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Being an NFL quarterback means constant pressure to succeed.
Every game, from Week 1 onward, will be used as data by fans to measure how good a passer and their team is. With a few bad outings, injury issues, or a failure to live up to high expectations, in the blink of an eye, a starter may become a backup — there are only 32 QB1 spots to go around.
A case can be made that every NFL quarterback has some kind of pressure to succeed in the 2026 season. Even Sam Darnold, fresh off a Super Bowl victory, may be out to prove his 2025 was no fluke. But some quarterbacks have more riding on the upcoming season than others.
Here's a ranking of the nine quarterbacks facing the most pressure to succeed in 2026.

#sporting

Sam Darnold snubbed at No. 100 as ESPN Buries Seahawks' super bowl winner before ***** le defense originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Landing dead last on ESPN's list of the top 100 NFL players for 2026 is a strange fate for a quarterback who just lifted a Lombardi Trophy. Yet that is exactly where Seattle's Sam Darnold sits.
A dozen ESPN ***** ysts and reporters built the ranking around what they expect in 2026 rather than what a player has already banked, which is how a 14-3 record, an NFC crown, and a championship end up buried at the bottom of the ledger.
Seahawks beat writer Brady Henderson wrote the note attached to Darnold's placement, and it read less like a takedown than a backhanded compliment.
"No quarterback has more wins over the past two seasons than Darnold, who has 31 with the Vikings and Seahawks," Henderson wrote. "He'd be higher on this list if not for his league-high 20 turnovers in 2025, though he went the final four games without one. One reason Darnold could be better in 2026: This is the first time since 2020 that he returns to the same team as its unquestioned starter."

#seahawks #sporting #quarterback #wrote

The season finale of "Hard Knocks" provided a perfect conclusion to the season in that it was all but conclusory. Throughout the episode, the impending "cut-down day" of the NFL season is approaching. Typically, this can be a very finite moment for players – either you made the roster or you didn't. However, as the Seattle Seahawks like to put it, cut-down day is "not doom and gloom. It's stay strong and keep faith."
Staying strong and keeping the faith on the individual level mirrors what the team needs to do to reach the goal for 2026, to raise the Lombardi Trophy once again. Perhaps that mindset is exactly why "Hard Knocks" chose to end the final scene with Sam Darnold walking off the field breathing loudly and staying the course. Seattle is a place where individuals can flourish, and as a result, the team as a whole is able to grow.
With that being said, let's take a look at some of the best moments from the "Hard Knocks" season finale.
Mike Macdonald starts the episode in his coaches meeting, reminding the staff that cut-down day is looming and to be cognizant that this is a tough time of the season for many players. Macdonald emphases that the message from coaches needs to be that everyone is on a different timetable as to their development.
The Seahawks are shown how to "baptize that chicken" with the help of chef and food influencer Bernard Hardison. Derick Hall is shown enjoying the baptized chicken, while Uso Seumalo gives the feast a 9.7/10 rating.

#knocks #Seattle #macdonald #finale

Tory Horton approaches the 2026 NFL season as an under-the-radar player with immense talent and a great amount of potential to become a significant part of the Seattle Seahawks' passing attack. Opportunities will dictate whether or not he will emerge in surprise fashion next season.
Horton recorded 13 receptions for 161 receiving yards and five REC touchdowns in 2025. He averaged 12.4 yards per reception and had multiple big time plays on the year. His 59.1 percent catch rate showed that he has room for improvement, but what met the eye showed a player capable of turning into a dynamic receiver with the ability to make plays after the catch and operate in all three phases of the field.
Horton has the size, route detail and ball skills to work in multiple roles. He has sound footwork, and a mesmerizing stride that enables him to pick up yards after receptions. He does not need to be the Seahawks' primary receiver to make an impact, as exemplified by how much of a scoring threat he was in his limited role last season. The Seahawks' wide receiver room has ***** e for him to upset the pecking order and make more of a name for himself in 2026.
A strong season will depend on opportunity and consistency. Horton must earn Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold's trust by getting open more and finishing catches.
Still, his talent and skills are evident. In the event that Horton sees an uptick in targets at some point next season based off of his route precision and catch ability, his regular season production may reflect who he is as a talent more and help him become one of Seattle's most dependable complementary receivers in 2026, or even perhaps a fixture of the offense.

#make

Ben Roethlisberger's arm ligaments turned al dente sometime around 2019. The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense behind him remained strong. That juxtaposition created the broken path that leads us to 2026. That's the year where the Steelers, in a league where most teams will have only two quarterbacks on their active roster, plan to keep four passers at the 53-man cutdown day.
That's what first-year head coach Mike McCarthy told ESPN's Brooke Pryor to expect when rosters as finalized August 30 at 6 p.m. ET. His QB1 will be a soon-to-be 43-year-old Aaron Rodgers, heavily diminished from his MVP peak. His veteran backup will be Mason Rudolph, exiled to Nashville in 2024 to bring his special brand of underwhelming football to the Tennessee ***** ans before reuniting with the team last year. Behind them, for now, is the duo of mid-round draft picks Pittsburgh picked up as lottery tickets in hopes they may have dug a diamond from a coal mine: Will Howard (sixth round, 2026) and Drew Allar (third round, 2026).
The need for four quarterbacks can be traced back to the end of the Roethlisberger era. This team was too competent to fall to a top 10 draft pick as the two-time Super Bowl champion's arm weakened and his average target distance dropped to league lows. Stopgap solutions followed; Mitchell Trubisky. Kenny Pickett. Rudolph. Russell Wilson. Justin Fields. Now, it's Rodgers.
When Pickett, the first quarterback selected in one of the worst quarterback drafts of all time, failed, the Steelers bought in to retread passers just good enough to keep the team at slightly above average. Playoff appearances followed. Playoff wins did not. Between weak draft position and the franchise's general distaste for big free agent splashes -- missing out on Kirk Cousins (good!) and Sam Darnold (not as good!) -- Pittsburgh went from renting to owning its place in contender's limbo.
2026 has marked the franchise's desire to stay there. Mike Tomlin, architect of zero losing seasons in 19 years at the helm, parted ways with the team. Rather than start fresh with a rising young head coach, the team hired Mike McCarthy, a man with a 126-80-2 record in the regular season since 2011 and a 6-9 playoff record. It brought back Rodgers, who can no longer use his legs to extend plays and has been forced into a diet of short, quick passes to avoid pressure even as his otherworldly arm talent remains in flashes of "remember when?" And, importantly, rather than casting his lot with Howard and Allar in case of injury and letting the chips fall where they may, McCarthy is keeping Rudolph as QB2.

#team #year #mike #rodgers

The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are not content to rest on their laurels.
We know this because they have the second-most starters returning from a championship team in the last 15 years. It would be natural for basically the same group of players and coaches to have the same exact ambition: Continuing what they started with February's Lombardi Trophy victory and going for the legendary repeat.
We also know the Seahawks are not content to sit back based on the money they've thrown around this offseason, and even dating back to last summer. Seattle has spent so much money on key members of its current championship core for the foreseeable future that you almost wonder whether the currency they're using is actually Monopoly money. Where does it keep coming from? Oh right, the Seahawks have the Park Place and Boardwalk squares, as well as all the railroads.
With the Thursday news that the Seahawks had extended All-Pro defensive lineman Leonard Williams to a three-year, $90 million contract (with $56 million guaranteed), their plan for the rest of the decade is in full focus. The Seahawks clearly believe they can wring out another championship or two with the current make-up of their team (they are probably correct), because why else would they throw out $634 million in new contracts over the last calendar year? For the fun of it? C'mon now. By total guaranteed money, the recent extensions awarded over just the last several weeks to Williams, star cornerback Devon Witherspoon, and arguably the NFL's best receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba come out to over $273 million.
That's, uh, a lot of cheddar. Let's put it this way: If the Seahawks didn't think they could wrack up a dynasty of sorts, they wouldn't be handing out proverbial blank checks like this all at once. (Note: It would also be a lot harder to spend this money if quarterback Sam Darnold wasn't on such a team-friendly contract. But here we are!)

#seahawks #money #championship #rest

Let us wind the clock back to springtime 2025. The Minnesota Vikings, coming off their 14-3 season that ended in back-to-back disastrous blowout losses - one being a game where the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line and the other being a Wild Card round playoff game - were facing a monumental decision: what to do at quarterback?
On one hand, they had the man who won them 14 games. Sam Darnold resurrected his career in a Geno Smith-esque way, as a former Jets flameout-turned-backup-turned Pro Bowler. He set career-bests with 4,319 yards passing and 35 touchdown passes. On the other hand, the Vikings had Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, whom the team selected No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. One quarterback was a known quantity, the other represented potential with his youth and lofty draft status. Minnesota ultimately stuck with their first round pick, and let Darnold walk out the door to Seattle.
Obviously, knowing what we know now, it's safe to say the Vikings probably wish they could have a "do-over" with this decision. Darnold repeated every bit of success he had in Minnesota with Seattle, and then some. He joined Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks to have consecutive 14-win seasons and helped guide the Seahawks to their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Meanwhile, the Vikings struggled to finish 9-8, missed the playoffs, and replaced McCarthy with former Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray as their starter for 2026.
Why do I bring any of this up? Because the Seattle Seahawks need to be learning from Minnesota's mistakes. Sam Darnold is under contract for another two years, but he will be eligible next offseason to negotiate for an extension. Seattle will have to decide if they want to keep their Pro Bowl caliber, Super Bowl champion quarterback at a higher salary or roll the dice with a younger quarterback they drafted. In this case, third rounder Jalen Milroe.
The Seahawks drafted Milroe with the intention of developing a quarterback succession plan for the first time in the John Schneider era. But as we've seen in this current preseason, Milroe is nowhere near ready to be Seattle's franchise quarterback. Which leads us back to Darnold.

#milroe

The Seahawks made a big change at running back this offseason and quarterback Sam Darnold likes how things are shaping up in the backfield.
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker left for Kansas City in free agency and the Seahawks replaced him with first-round pick Jadarian Price. Price's preseason has been hampered by a leg injury, but he was back in action this week and took part in Friday's joint practice with the ****** ans.
The ability Price showed as a runner and receiver in that workout left Darnold singing his praises.
"He's a special player," Darnold said, via the team's website. "He's a really special player. He brings a different facet to the offense that only a guy like him can bring. Whether it's catching passes out of the backfield, catching screens, running in between the tackles, outside of the tackles, he can really do it all. And I know he's just going to continue to get better and learn."
Veteran Zach Charbonnet is still recovering from a torn ACL and the Seahawks don't have any other established backs on the roster, so Price figures to be playing a major role right out of the gate in Seattle. Darnold's review makes that sound like a positive situation for the defending champs.

#darnold

The Seattle Seahawks have completed their first week of preseason, which definitely didn't go as well as hoped. While preseason final scores mean not a jot, individual and collective performances for players looking to solidify roster spots do mean something, and the Seahawks' reserve largely struggled in Saturday's 17-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
After every preseason game, we'll be doing an updated roster projection. This is, of course, an initial 53-man roster and not remotely close to what the roster will look like over the course of the season. Heck, this projection might be obsolete by Tuesday, but you know what?
Quarterback (3): Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe
Cut: N/A
Notes: If you think Milroe played himself off the team last night I think you're being a bit too hasty. If he looks underwhelming for the rest of preseason then maybe a conversation can be had.

#roster

Newly minted Devon Witherspoon — who agreed to a record $132 million contract extension with $101 million guaranteed Saturday morning — plus Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp, Leonard Williams and the Super Bowl-champion starters did pregame warmups in full pads.
All 22 expected starters on offense and defense when Seattle begins defense of its Super Bowl **** le Sept. 9 in the NFL season opener against New England on this same field watched this preseason game from the sideline in their jerseys, no pads and white team caps.
The fullest action the starters are likely to get this preseason will be Friday when they scrimmage the Tennessee **** ans' starters in a joint practice in Nashville.
They spent Saturday night running off the sideline, jumping up and down and celebrating big plays by their backups.
One of the two biggest one was wide receiver Rashad Rochelle's 52-yard punt return weaving through Cowboys late in the third quarter. Middle linebacker Ernest Jones and Witherspoon were the first Seahawks off the sideline to congratulate Rochelle, an undrafted rookie from Indiana State. Jones slapped at him with a towel.

#million #pads

With the 2026 NFL season on the horizon, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has quite the reputation that he is carrying into the year.
However, Darnold enters the conversation of top quarterbacks in the NFL, including several former MVPs and prolific performers, that make his standing among the best players at the position one that has increased, but may have more room to increase with another stellar season in 2026.
The Athletic's Mike Sando ranked Darnold No. 14 overall in his annual QB rankings this year.
Darnold led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory last season. He recorded 4,000 passing yards. Darnold displayed one of the most powerful arms in the NFL all year long. He was reliable down the stretch. Other quarterbacks were able to rack up more yards on the ground, but Darnold played winning football in a variety of ways that made him one of the best players at the position.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: The Athletic has Seahawks QB Sam Darnold too low on their 2026 ranking

#position #yards

If episode one of 'Hard Knocks' taught us anything, it's that you should expect the unexpected with the Seattle Seahawks. From fullback Brady Russell getting peed on by who some would call the future team mascot in **** ercup the Goat to head coach Mike Macdonald using Phil Jackson's legendary Chicago Bulls teams as a metaphor to emphasize how to build a continuous winning culture, it's safe to say fans weren't left empty handed.
If you didn't get the chance to tune in for episode two, I'd suggest you go watch it (and come back to this article later of course). For those who did, let's dive into what we learned and have a look at who's emerging as early candidates to be this year's series stars.
The episode opens with head coach Mike Macdonald scolding linebacker Derick Hall for bull rushing quarterback Sam Darnold. The first time he did it, Macdonald tried nicely, but after the second close call, he'd had enough. We'll revisit this later.
Comparisons keep coming, and the Seahawk machine is a good one. Otherwise known as a GPS guided robot used to repair the field, it's much like the defending Super Bowl Champions — clean, precise and purposeful.
Macdonald is working to prepare the defense for their first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on August 15, reiterating to the young guys there's a lot coming ahead.

#call #head #coming

The J.J. McCarthy era may already be over with the Minnesota Vikings. He will, barring a shocking roster move, be part of the team in 2026 and 2027. But, barring a shocking leap forward into competence, he will not be the homegrown franchise quarterback for which the Vikings have been searching since Daunte Culpepper was winging deep ***** down the decidedly non-hallowed halls of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
That's because McCarthy, even before Minnesota's first preseason game of the season, has been demoted. There was no hemming and hawing when it came to specifics of competition. There's no "-or-" designation on the depth chart. Head coach Kevin O'Connell understood people paid enough attention to see Kyler Murray was taking the lion's share of snaps with the starting offense in practice. He understood the frustration that came with averaging nearly 11 wins per season without a single playoff victory under his belt.
Thus, he made the logical decision most people expected.
It's another brutal blow in a brief career filled with them for McCarthy. He missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a knee injury. In his stead, journeyman backup Sam Darnold went from "veteran mentor" to "stud quarterback" in a 14-win season. O'Connell opted to stick with the quarterback his front office drafted 10th overall in 2024. That was two slots ahead of Bo Nix, a different kind of flawed-but-intriguing passer who was arguably an ankle injury away from leading the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl last winter.
Waiting for Nix in the big game? That would have been Darnold, who went on to sign a modest three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks before leading them to a world championship.

#quarterback #barring

Seattle Seahawks star Sam Darnold is preparing to play in his second season with the team in 2026 after a hot two-year stretch in the NFL, and his profile as a high-end quarterback in the league is as high as it's ever been in his career.
Bleacher Report ranked Darnold No. 15 overall in their evaluation of the top quarterbacks for the 2026 NFL season, placing him in their "high-quality starter" category.
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (No. 12), Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams (No. 13) and Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (No. 14) were all ranked ahead of Darnold in the same category. Trevor Lawrence was an AP MVP finalist last season. Williams was one of the biggest emergent stars of the year, and Hurts had a successful season in 2025, having led the Eagles to an NFC East ***** le win.
Nevertheless, Darnold got the better of them all with a Super Bowl victory at the end of last season, and threw for over 4,000 yards for the second straight year. He has the 2026 season to put together another prolific season in the passing yards department and improve his standing among the best players at the position.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold is "middle of the road" according to Bleacher Report

#year #report #trevor

Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold and No. 1 wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba arguably were the best QB-WR pairing in the NFL last season. It's partially why the Seahawks won Super Bowl 60. Their connection was once again fully on display at Wednesday's 10th training camp practice.
Smith-Njigba posted a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards last season. JSN was rewarded for his individual accolades by being named Offensive Player of the Year. Smith-Njigba has picked up right where he left off this offseason.
Smith-Njigba was downright dominant at Wednesday's practice, per ESPN reporter Brady Henderson, who was in attendance. "It was great to see him come alive," head coach Mike Macdonald said after practice. "Some of those in high-leverage situations, too. … There's defensive attention on where he's at at all times, too, so for him to be able to make those plays, it's great for the Seahawks, great for him."
Darnold has so many pass-catching weapons at his disposal. Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, and AJ Barner are proven threats. Sophomores Elijah Arroyo and Tory Horton are expected to take developmental steps forward. The running game has been revamped with the additions of Emanuel Wilson and Jadarian Price, and possibly a bigger role for George Holani.
Wednesday's practice was a reminder that the offense should still run through Smith-Njigba, though.

#darnold

The Seattle Seahawks held their seventh of 10 public training camp practices on Wednesday. It was another warm (and, due to the wildfire smoke, hazy) day at team headquarters in Renton, and the VMAC berm was filled to capacity yet again for what was a non-padded practice for the reigning Super Bowl champions. While the pads may not have been there, there was still a lot to take in.
Field Gulls was on-site at VMAC observing what was just about a 2.5-hour long practice. Myself and fellow Field Gulls staff writer and host of The Hawks Eye podcast, Bryce Coutts, filmed a quick reaction video after practice ended (from outside The Pro Shop in Renton, we were in a hurry to get to SoDo!) with our immediate takeaways and ****** ysis. Over a nice and tight five minutes, we discussed how well the defense performed, the Sam Darnold-Rashid Shaheed connection, an interesting name to watch at safety, Nehemiah Pritchett's increased role with the starters, Rylie Mills' versatility, and the work in progress that is a rebuilding running game.
(Update: We've swapped in the video to include auto-generated and therefore not totally accurate transcription, so this should be a help!)
Check out the video below, and don't forget that at 7:30 pm PT we will be live from Fast Fashion Brewing in SoDo for more in-depth, fleshed out training camp ****** ysis, with special guest Corbin Smith of Emerald City Spectrum joining the Seahawks Syndicate podcast! There will be a separate post coming up for tonight's live stream.
If you attended camp with us, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!

#renton #field

The Seattle Seahawks gained significant yardage in 2025, and were stingy in allowing total yards to opponents.
According to NFL.com's Anthony Holzman-Escareno, the Seahawks had the fourth-highest total yards differential in the NFL last season, having outgained opponents by 1,113 yards.
The New England Patriots (+1,430), Buffalo Bills (+1,414), and Los Angeles Rams (+1,141) had higher differentials than the Seahawks on the year.
Seattle was powered by AP Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and his NFL-leading 1,793 receiving yards, as well as star quarterback Sam Darnold and his second-career 4,000-yard season in the passing yards department. Seattle's defense was daunting in allowing total yards in all three phases of the field and stifled opposing offenses all year long.
The Seahawks allowed the third-fewest rushing yards to opponents in the NFL last season with 1,563, and were effective against the pass, which contributed to their elite total yards differential on the year.

#year #total

The Seattle Seahawks held their seventh of 10 public training camp practices on Wednesday. It was another warm (and, due to the wildfire smoke, hazy) day at team headquarters in Renton, and the VMAC berm was filled to capacity yet again for what was a non-padded practice for the reigning Super Bowl champions. While the pads may not have been there, there was still a lot to take in.
Field Gulls was on-site at VMAC observing what was just about a 2.5-hour long practice. Myself and fellow Field Gulls staff writer and host of The Hawks Eye podcast, Bryce Coutts, filmed a quick reaction video after practice ended (from outside The Pro Shop in Renton, we were in a hurry to get to SoDo!) with our immediate takeaways and ***** ysis. Over a nice and tight five minutes, we discussed how well the defense performed, the Sam Darnold-Rashid Shaheed connection, an interesting name to watch at safety, Rylie Mills' versatility, and the work in progress that is a rebuilding running game.
Check out the video below, and don't forget that at 7:30 pm PT we will be live from Fast Fashion Brewing in SoDo for more in-depth, fleshed out training camp ***** ysis, with special guest Corbin Smith of Emerald City Spectrum joining the Seahawks Syndicate podcast! There will be a separate post coming up for tonight's live stream.
If you attended camp with us, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!
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#practice #sodo