> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seahawks Notebook: Sam Darnold Returns to Practice, QB Decision Expected by Friday - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/sam-darnold-seattle-seahawks-returns-practice-qb-decision-expected-friday/ - Published: 2026-09-23T22:07:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:55:15.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, News, Seahawks, Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Anthony Bradford, Mike Macdonald, Beau Stephens, Christian Haynes, Rodney Thomas, Nick Emmanwori RENTON, Wash. - While it remains unclear whether or not Sam Darnold will be able to play against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, signs continue to be encouraging as he recovers from a unique glute injury suffered in the Seattle Seahawks’ season opener on September 9. Speaking with the media for his Wednesday availability, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald reaffirmed Darnold would practice on Wednesday, acknowledging that he will split reps with Drew Lock. The team will evaluate him by day to determine how to proceed potentially increasing reps as they draw closer to the weekend with hopes of making a decision on which quarterback will start by the end of the practice week. "He's not going to take every rep today,” Macdonald updated. “Then we'll kind of ramp it up as the week goes." Darnold exited Seattle’s opener just six plays into the game after his right knee crashed into the turf while being brought down by Patriots defensive end Dre’Mont Jones for a third down sack. He spent a brief moment in the injury tent before hobbling alongside trainers to the locker room, where he eventually was ruled out for the remainder of the night as Lock took the controls under center and orchestrated a second half comeback for a 13-10 victory. Early last week, Macdonald told reporters that Darnold was making “great” progress in his rehab, but the Seahawks ruled him out before practice started on Wednesday, ensuring Lock would make his first NFL start since 2024\. In command from the outset, the veteran backup [flourished in a 31-7 win](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/felt-really-good-seattle-seahawks-drew-lock-delivers-masterpiece-arizona-cardinals) over the Cardinals, throwing a trio of touchdown passes to superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and not turning the ball over for a second straight week. Given how well Lock has played in relief duty running offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s offense, Seattle has no reason to rush Darnold back too quickly, and if there’s any doubt on that front this week, it would be a surprise if he starts against a struggling 0-2 Washington team. Resting him for one more week with a soft tissue injury that could be ripe for re-aggravation if he comes back to quickly would be a smart move, setting the state for the two-time Pro Bowler to come back for a Week 4 home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, if Darnold feels good and practices well without any setbacks over the course of the week, the Seahawks won’t hesitate to turn the keys to the car back over to their trusted Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Either way, Macdonald expects a decision to be made on that front before the team flies cross country to the nation’s capital. “I think we’ll make a decision at some point before Friday’s over,” Macdonald explained. “I don’t think we’d go into the weekend not knowing if he’s going to play, but it’s on a good track assuming today goes well.” With Darnold’s status trending in positive direction towards playing, here are other notes from Macdonald’s Wednesday availability: ### 1\. Seattle will be without Anthony Bradford for four games, but he's expected to play again this season. Moments before Macdonald took the podium, the Seahawks announced Bradford had been placed on injured reserve with hip/knee injuries that prevented him from starting in Sunday’s win over the Cardinals. Under league rules, he will be required to miss at least the next four games, as the game missed in Arizona does not count to that total, meaning the offensive line group will have to go a month without one of their most experienced starters. But Macdonald doesn’t think this to be a long-term injury situation for Bradford, indicating that the Seahawks believe he will be able to return at full strength after he misses the required number of games. Until then, the organization has plenty of confidence in Christian Haynes and rookie Beau Stephens, who [platooned at the right guard spot](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/seattle-seahawks-flash-rare-depth-offensive-line-christian-haynes-beau-stephens) in Sunday’s victory and each acquitted themselves well during the series that they played in. “It’s unfortunate with AB \[Anthony Bradford\]. Luckily, I think AB’s gonna be able to make a full recovery and come back, best version of himself yet hopefully,” Macdonald said. “But with the way those guys played, we’ve got a great competition right there and excited to see them practice. It was cool to talk to them after the game. Christian \[Haynes\] hasn’t played a full game in a while, so to see him have confidence about him, and Beau playing in his first NFL game, I thought that was really cool.” As Macdonald stated, Haynes and Stephens will be competing against each other on the practice field for the chance to start against the Commanders. But after the two played so well rotating in and out of the lineup on Sunday, there’s a strong likelihood that the Seahawks will keep deploying that tactic to keep both players fresh, providing invaluable experience for each of them. ### 2\. Macdonald takes the sword with “lessons learned” after Broncos, Cold War comments on Graham Bresinger interview. Since winning Super Bowl LX, Macdonald has expectedly been seen more in the public eye, partaking in many more interviews than he did before the stardom that comes with hoisting a Lombardi Trophy. With those increased opportunities, however, there’s more scrutiny with the microphone always running hot, and the 38-year-old coach got nipped by that reality on Tuesday when a clip surfaced from a summer interview with Bresinger where he candidly spoke about a previous rift with Broncos coach Sean Payton during his first year on the job stemming from false cheating accusations. Those comments were never supposed to be available for public consumption, as confirmed on Wednesday by Macdonald, who admitted that he didn’t think cameras were live at the time. But he took the blame for the mishap, saying that it is his responsibility to manage what he says and how he says it. “It’s something that I didn’t intend for public use, but I thought it was the most appropriate thing to reach out to Sean \[Payton\] and really just apologize to him for having that end up being public when it wasn’t meant to,” Macdonald said. “Something that they have to deal with in real time, so that wasn’t really on their end. That’s really where you’re like ‘crap.’ It’s a lesson learned. I gotta be better in that moment for understanding I’m responsible for what I say no matter the circumstances, whether you’re mic’d up or you’re not… I fell short in that moment, so it stings for me, frankly, but it’s something I’m definitely gonna learn from.” Once the clip when viral on Tuesday, Macdonald made it a priority to connect with Payton, and the two coaches had a great conversation to bury the hatchet. Set to face off in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football, he acknowledged both of them are eager to “move on from it.” “I respect the heck out of him and his program, always have,” Macdonald remarked. “He’s a phenomenal football coach. It’s been great to get to know him at the owner’s meetings the last couple of years and he was awesome. I really appreciate how he handled it.” ### 3\. Still on way back from surgery, Nick Emmanwori poised to play “significantly” more snaps in Washington. After sitting out Seattle’s season opener, Emmanwori went into last weekend listed as questionable coming off three practices where he continued to be listed as a limited participant, casting questions about whether or not he would be ready to make his debut in Arizona. But the second-year safety did indeed suit up, albeit with very limited playing time, logging just nine defensive snaps while producing a single tackle in his first game action of the season. Fortunately, the Seahawks weren’t backed into a corner where they felt they had to divert from their original plan with Emmanwori, as Macdonald’s defense held the Cardinals to under 155 yards of total offense and just seven points while the offense exploded in the second half to pull away for a 24-point win. This allowed the coaching staff to get the Defensive Rookie of the Year runner up a handful of plays sprinkled throughout the contest to get his feet wet, so to speak, and resist the urge to play him more than he should have as the team continues to ramp up his activity. “He’s on his way back, so I think it’s even more of an emphasis. Let’s make sure it’s a tight plan of what we’re asking him to do,” Macdonald said of Emmanwori. “Because you do get excited about some of the things he’s able to do and there’s only so many reps in a week, so we have to kind of protect ourselves on that to make sure we get the best version of Nick when he’s out there.” Pleased with how Emmanwori played in his first game action of the year, Macdonald expects to see a lot more of No. 3 on the field against the Commanders on Sunday, indicating he would play “significantly” more than he did last week. How that will manifest itself in Landover will boil down to how he performs in practice and the flow of the actual game, among other factors, but he anticipates seeing the disruptive, versatile playmaker being much more involved in the game plan. ### 4\. Playing as the coaching staff expected, Rodney Thomas II earns himself a permanent spot on the 53. With Emmanwori and Ty Okada missing time due to injury to start the season, nobody has been a bigger benefactor than Thomas, who earned the game day promotion from the practice squad for each of the first two games and jumped into the starting lineup against the Patriots and Cardinals. The former Colts starter took full advantage of this latest audition and then some, playing outstanding football with four tackles and two pass breakups in the pair of victories. In a corresponding move after Bradford landed on injured reserve, the Seahawks rewarded Thomas by signing him to the 53-man roster, and even with Emmanwori set to see more snaps in Week 3, Okada’s status remains up in the air as he tries to come back from a hamstring injury. This opens the door for the ex-Yale star to once again start against the Commanders, playing the other safety spot next to Julian Love and providing another ball hawk to roam in the secondary. Honoring the late Dennis Green, former Vikings and Cardinals head coach, Macdonald smiled and said Thomas has been “the guy we thought he was” after signing the veteran defender in free agency. “The things we saw on tape - shout out to our personnel staff for identifying the type of player and person that would thrive here - Rodney’s done a great job coming in, working his tail off to play at a high level,” Macdonald said. “So shout out to Rodney.” Through two weeks, albeit with a small sample size, Thomas has been a difference maker alongside Love, allowing four receptions for just 18 yards with two pass breakups in coverage. He also has done a nice job as a tackler in space, improving upon an area that caused problems at times for him during his four seasons in Indianapolis, and Seattle will continue to count on him performing as a valued piece in a deep secondary now that he has returned to the 53.