Sam Darnold dealing with glute injury, expected to miss Week 2, reports say

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to miss next week’s game at Arizona, according to reports from both the NFL Network and FOX Sports during their pregame shows Sunday morning.

But each report stated there’s a chance Darnold could return for a Week 3 game at Washington on Sept. 27.

Both reports also clarified that Darnold appears to be suffering from a muscle injury in his glute as opposed to his hip.

Jay Glazer of FOX reported that the Seahawks are still seeking info on the injury Darnold suffered when he was sacked five plays into Wednesday night’s game against the Patriots by Dre’Mont Jones.

“So much so that they are getting four second opinions to figure out exactly what the timetable will be and what the plan of attack is,” Glazer said.

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Glazer referred to the injury as “a tendon injury in the glute” and said that “he’s going to miss next week (Sunday’s game at Arizona). We have no idea after that.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported likewise stating it’s “actually a glute injury” and that “it’s a muscle injury not considered to be major.”

Rapoport gave the same prognosis as Glazer, stating Darnold “is going to be out next week and then we’ll see. Probably a couple games was the description given to me. We’ll see if he is able to get there for Week 3 against the Commanders.”

The Seahawks were scheduled to get four days off following the 13-10 comeback win over the Patriots Wednesday and will return to the practice field Monday afternoon for a light workout at the VMAC.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald told reporters Thursday that the team hoped to have a better idea of exactly where things stand with Darnold after the weekend.

“Hopefully by then we’ll have an accurate picture of plan of attack and what we’ll do that week,” Macdonald said.

Backup Drew Lock, who replaced Darnold Wednesday and completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, will get the start in place of Darnold at Arizona if Darnold cannot play.

Darnold being out also means second-year player Jalen Milroe would ascend to backup status behind Lock. Seattle has no other quarterbacks on the roster and could look to sign one to the practice squad as added depth.