Darnold's Back for Seattle. Now the Seahawks Need an Undrafted Safety to Come Through

The Seahawks got their quarterback back and lost their safeties in the same week.

Sam Darnold will start Sunday against Washington after hurting his glute on the fifth play of the season. He practiced in full Thursday and Friday, and coach Mike Macdonald, who had said Darnold's timeline had shifted dramatically, went further on Friday and called it a medical miracle. Darnold admitted he briefly worried the injury could end his season or worse. Drew Lock filled in and beat Arizona 31-7, so Seattle is 2-0.

The safety problem

Julian Love's calf tightened Thursday and he sat out the rest of the week. He had an interception in three straight games, counting the Super Bowl LX win over New England, and Macdonald doesn't know how long he'll be out. Ty Okada's hamstring still has him off the practice field.

Rodney Thomas II makes a third straight start for Okada. Love's spot goes to AJ Finley, who has never started an NFL game. He went undrafted out of Mississippi in 2023, was claimed from the Chargers in 2024, and missed all of last season after tearing his ACL at a training camp practice. He picked off Darnold at the same event this summer and called it a full-circle moment. Macdonald said Finley is sharp as a whip.

Nick Emmanwori, who plays near the line as the third safety, should play a lot more than the nine snaps he got last week coming back from ankle surgery. Rookie running back Jadarian Price is good to go after a chest and shoulder issue, Brandon Pili is questionable, and Zach Charbonnet has at least two more games on the PUP list.