Seahawks make it official: Drew Lock will start as Sam Darnold sits

by · The Seattle Times

The name of the Seahawks starting quarterback will be different Sunday than it was last Wednesday.

But coach Mike Macdonald said he hopes that is all that changes when the Seahawks take on Arizona in Glendale at 1:25 p.m.

Macdonald announced during his weekly Wednesday news conference that Drew Lock will start at Arizona and Sam Darnold will not play after Darnold suffered an injury to his glute on the first possession of a 13-10 win over New England on Sept. 9.

The team has referred to Darnold’s ailment as “a unique, soft-tissue injury” in the glute area.

Macdonald said the Seahawks “don’t anticipate” putting Darnold on injured reserve and do not anticipate signing another quarterback to go along with Lock and Jalen Milroe.

Macdonald said Lock will get the starter’s reps in practice this week that usually go to Darnold, while Milroe will get more reps as he prepares to the backup.

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“These guys have been preparing like they’re going to play for the last two years,” Macdonald said. “Nothing changes much on that end in terms of mentality. He’s (Milroe) going to get more reps this week. We want Drew to play the whole game obviously, but we learned last week that it’s a great message for the whole team of ‘Hey we’re all one or two plays away from being ready. Preparation is key no matter my role and then when I get my opportunity, let’s go take advantage of it.'”

The team has not specified how long Darnold may be out.

An ESPN report Wednesday stated that “multiple sources are bracing for Darnold to miss roughly four weeks from the time of his injury but are hoping he can come back sooner.”

If Darnold went on injured reserve, he would have to miss four games starting with Sunday at Arizona.

Not going on IR means the Seahawks are hopeful that Darnold will return before a home game against San Francisco on Oct. 11 at Lumen Field. After playing at Arizona this week, the Seahawks play at Washington on Sept. 27 and host the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 4.

The ESPN report stated that “Darnold returning for the 49ers game in Week 5 feels like a possibility. Another source estimated that he’ll be sidelined for three to four weeks and added that the quarterback is moving around much better in recent days.”

Asked about Darnold’s status, Macdonald said: “I don’t anticipate putting him on IR or anything like that. We’ll re-evaluate every day and re-evaluate next week and we’ll go from there. He won’t play this week.”

But Macdonald didn’t seem to rule out a quick return for Darnold.

“He’s killing it on his rehab,” Macdonald said. “He’s doing a great job. He’s doing a lot right now.”

The start will be the third in a Seahawks uniform for Lock, who initially came to Seattle in 2022 as part of the Russell Wilson trade. He had spent three years in Denver, going 8-13 as a starter, after the Broncos took him in the second round of the 2019 draft out of Missouri, 42nd overall.

He didn’t play in his first season in Seattle in 2022 but got two starts in 2023 in place of an injured Geno Smith, including leading the Seahawks to a 20-17 win over the Eagles on a Monday night.

He spent the 2024 season with the Giants, going 1-4 as a starter, before returning in 2025 to play a backup role to Darnold.

Lock threw just three passes in mop-up duty last season.

Lock entered Wednesday’s opener against the Patriots when Darnold was sidelined and completed 16 of 27 passes for 187 yards and a TD as the Seahawks rallied from a 10-0 third quarter deficit to pull out a 13-10 win.

“Drew’s a proven good player in this league,” Macdonald said. “Even when he started, he’s played good football. When he’s been on our team since I’ve seen him play in person, he’s a heck of a player here. Heck of a guy, heck of a teammate.”

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams said that “we have all the faith” in Lock, who has a career record as a starter of 10-18.

“We believe that he’s the best second-string quarterback in the league,” Williams said. “Since I’ve been here (since 2023), before he went to the Giants, he stepped up big time. I remember that Eagles game a few years back where he stepped up and won us the game. He’s done it and shown it multiple times now. That has instilled a lot of trust in his teammates and his team.”

Just as critical is Milroe’s standing as the backup quarterback and being “one play away” from taking over.

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Milroe, a third-round pick in 2025 out of Alabama, played only three snaps as a rookie, one each in three of the first five games of the season. All were plays in which he was credited with a run, gaining a total of four yards. On his last play, against Tampa Bay, his pitch to Kenneth Walker III resulted in a lost fumble and led to a Bucs TD on the ensuing possession as Tampa Bay won 38-35.

Milroe got the bulk of the work at quarterback during the preseason and completed 27 of 45 passes for 311 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions while also being sacked six times and running 13 times for 72 yards.

“Jalen has worked incredibly hard, and I think there’s been returns for his efforts, which is great,” Macdonald said. “You love to see that payoff for a guy with that type of work ethic.”

Veteran receiver Cooper Kupp said the team has confidence Milroe should be have to play.

“I thought during training camp, he did an unbelievable job of just slowing things down,” Kupp said. “It seemed like last year, there were some times where it was just ahead of him. It was a new offense and there’s a lot of learning going on, but he did a great job this year in terms of slowing down, making throws, and being able to get out of the pocket when he needs to. He’s such an incredible athlete.”