Seahawks rule out Darnold (hip) before halftime

The Seahawks will roll with QB Drew Lock as this week’s starter. He is backed up by QB Jalen Milroe. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he does not “anticipate” putting Darnold on injured reserve, so he should be back before Week 6. Lock can be treated as a volatile QB2 against the Cardinals this week.

It’s a very different report than the one we got from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who said Darnold — injured on the first drive of the regular season — could be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. In any case, Drew Lock is set to start for Seattle this week against the Cardinals. In Week 3 the Seahawks will face off against the Commanders. Expect the Seattle offense to be among the run-heaviest units for as long as Lock is under center. The Seahawks in Week 1 produced 176 total team air yards, the third fewest of the week.

This reinforces previous reports that indicated the team was not considering injured reserve, with the injury believed to be of the short-term variety. Destin adds that Darnold’s hip joint is unaffected. Seattle fans breathe a collective sigh of relief as the team looks to become the third franchise to repeat as Super Bowl Champions since the turn of the century. Still no word from the team on Darnold’s expected recovery timeline, leaving fantasy managers scrambling to fill the roster hole in the interim.

Prior reports described Darnold’s injury as a hip issue, and the Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reported last week that Darnold had suffered an “unusual muscle strain.” Florio cites a report from FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer from earlier today, in which Glazer said Darnold actually suffered a glute tendon injury. Evidently, the injury is so unusual that, per Glazer, the team is gathering four second opinions to determine a course of action. Darnold is not expected to require surgery, but missing four-plus weeks could land him on injured reserve. The Seahawks will not be required to make that decision until late next week, though. Regardless, Glazer said QB Drew Lock will start next week against the Cardinals. He is a QB2.

The report comes from the Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, who adds that “there is no timetable” for Darnold’s recovery, which will be based on “how he feels and how he recovers.” Pelissero referred to QB Drew Lock as “the likely starter” for the Seahawks’ Week 2 game against the Cardinals.

Darnold underwent tests last night that ruled out a hip fracture. He went in for an MRI this morning, and the team’s medical staff is still trying to determine how much time he will miss. Still, the outcome is overall positive given that a season-ending injury looks unlikely at this point. Ian Rapoport later added that Darnold will miss Week 2 but could only miss a few weeks. Drew Lock will start for Seattle until Darnold is healthy. Lock threw for 187 yards and a score in relief of Darnold last night. He was only sacked once and did not turn the ball over. As long as he keeps that up, the Seahawks will be able to stay afloat on the back of their elite defense.

Darnold will undergo more testing tomorrow to gain more info on the hip injury he suffered in the first quarter of Seattle’s Week 1 win over New England. The good news is that a season-ending hip fracture has been ruled out, though there are still other serious injuries on the table. Drew Lock will start for the Seahawks until Darnold is able to return. Lock threw for 187 yards and a score in the team’s win over the Pats.

Lock took over for Sam Darnold after he suffered a hip injury at the end of Seattle’s opening drive. Darnold was initially listed as questionable to return but was ruled out for good just before halftime. Lock acquitted himself well, averaging 8.5 yards per attempt with just one sack. He also added two carries for 13 yards on the ground. Jaxon Smith-Njigba did most of the work for him with a 45-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. All but four of the yards came after the catch. Still, Lock took care of the ball, peppered his best receiver with targets, and came away with the win. If Darnold is out for an extended period, Lock would be near the back of the QB2 mix for fantasy purposes. Superflex managers will want to take a flyer on him unless we get good news about Darnold over the next few days.

Darnold suffered the injury while taking a sack on the opening drive of the game. He initially waved the training staff off but eventually went into the blue tent for further evaluation. The trainers escorted him to the locker room after his time in the tent. Drew Lock is under center for the Seahawks.

Per Fowler, Seahawks tight ends are “going to be moving all around” the formation this season. Whether Darnold targets TEs AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo more often remains to be seen, but we can take this as a net positive for the offense overall. Shifts and motion give the defense an extra item to monitor. Motion added 0.25 yards per play to the NFL average last year. The 49ers averaged the fourth-highest shifts and motion rate (74.3 percent) in the 2025 regular season, while Fleury served as their run game coordinator and tight ends coach. The Seahawks’ 67.4 percent rate ranked 12th. Fleury will call plays offensively for the first time in his career, and former OC Klint Kubiak will not be easy to replace. This is an encouraging report for the Seahawks’ fantasy-scoring prospects, though.