Seahawks Lose Jake Bobo to ‘Serious’ Knee Injury During Joint Practice With Titans

From team bonding to the opportunity to receive valuable, yet controlled reps against starters from another team, joint practices offer plenty of benefits for NFL teams. But as the Seattle Seahawks learned the hard way on Friday, they can also come with unexpected costs on the injury front.

Per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, Seahawks veteran receiver Jake Bobo landed awkwardly while trying to make a contested catch while covered by one of Tennessee’s linebackers, suffering a “bad looking” leg injury. The team ended up carting him off the field, always an ominous sign, and coach Mike Macdonald indicated the the injury looked to be a significant one for the fourth-year wideout after practice concluded.

“Our heart goes out to Jake Bobo,” Macdonald said, confirming that players from both teams took a knee to say a prayer for Bobo after the injury happened. “It seems like it’s going to be a serious knee [injury]. We’re going to get it imaged, but early returns, it looks like a long-term injury, so that’s unfortunate.”

In addition, as reported by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, starting right tackle Abraham Lucas walked off the field with trainers, though it appears that was for cramping and not due to an actual injury.

It’s been a rough August for Bobo, who missed a large chunk of training camp with a hamstring strain before returning to action in the week leading up to the preseason opener against the Cowboys. Though he only caught two passes for 20 yards last year in the regular season, the Seahawks brought back the fan favorite in March after the Jaguars tried to steal him with a two-year offer sheet, ultimately deciding to match the offer to keep him in the fold as a core special teams player and valued blocker on the outside.

If Bobo has to miss significant time, which it sounds like may be inevitable based on reports about the nature of his leg injury and Macdonald’s comments, with Tory Horton still sidelined with an unknown injury issue of his own, Montorie Foster Jr. will likely be the beneficiary. The second-year wideout out of Michigan State has been a revelation in camp and starred on HBO’s Hard Knocks, turning from a long shot when he reported in late July into a viable 53-man roster threat by stacking quality practice after quality practice and scoring the lone touchdown for the Seahawks in a 17-7 loss to the Cowboys last weekend.

Another former Spartan in Cody White, who offers more size at 6-4 than Foster, could also benefit as a more similar player stylistically to Bobo while offering extensive NFL special teams experience. Both of those players stand to gain the most in the event Bobo has to miss several weeks and potentially land on injured reserve, either before cutdown day in the season-ending variety or after the initial roster is set with a short-term designation.

Assuming Bobo has been lost for the season, Macdonald said the Seahawks lost a “beast” of a football player and that they will be by his side as he begins his long road back from a severe knee injury with hopes he will be ready to return and contribute once again in 2027.

“Just a great football player and a great Seahawk,” Macdonald said. “Hopefully it reflected in that in our investment in him, but we love him and we’ll be there beside him as he recovers and pray it’s a speedy recovery.”

As for Lucas’ injury, it sounds like he was one of several players who dealt with cramping as a result of the heat and humidity in Nashville, which wouldn’t be a long-term issue. In the event he would need to miss any time, veteran swing tackle Josh Jones would step into the lineup as his replacement, while Bobby Hart and Amari Kight also could be options with prior experience playing on that side of the line.