The Seattle Seahawks have ruled starting quarterback Sam Darnold out for Sunday’s Week 2 road game against the Arizona Cardinals, making Drew Lock the starter while Darnold continues to recover from the glute injury that knocked him out of Seattle’s season opener.
Head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed the decision Wednesday and said the Seahawks do not expect to place Darnold on injured reserve. That distinction matters because it points to a week-to-week recovery plan rather than a guaranteed multi-game absence.
Drew Lock will get the full starter workload this week
Macdonald said Lock will handle the starter’s practice reps and Jalen Milroe will move into the backup role. Seattle is not planning to add another quarterback at this point, which is another sign the team believes Darnold’s injury is manageable on a shorter timeline.
The Seahawks have already seen Lock operate the offense in a live game. Darnold left the Week 1 win over New England after only a handful of snaps, and Lock stepped in to help Seattle complete the comeback. FSN covered that transition in its Week 1 recap of Seattle’s 13-10 win over the Patriots.
That experience should reduce some of the disruption that usually comes with an in-week quarterback change. Lock is not entering the game plan cold, and Seattle can build from the concepts he already executed in Week 1 rather than installing an emergency package from scratch.
Darnold’s injury still looks short-term, but Week 2 is now settled
The Seahawks initially feared a more serious hip issue after Darnold was injured against New England, but follow-up evaluation showed the hip joint itself was not the problem. FSN previously reported that Darnold avoided a hip fracture and was awaiting further clarity from imaging.
Wednesday’s update answers the immediate question without completely resolving the longer one. Darnold will not play in Arizona, but Seattle is not locking itself into a four-game injured-reserve absence. Macdonald said the team will continue to reevaluate him and see where he stands next week.
That gives Seattle a relatively clean decision for this game: prepare Lock as the starter, get Milroe enough work to function as the No. 2, and let Darnold continue rehabbing without forcing a rushed return.
Why the quarterback switch matters against Arizona
The timing is important because Seattle is moving from a comeback win into a divisional road game. NFC West games tend to put a premium on communication, third-down execution and avoiding short-field mistakes, all areas that become more sensitive when a backup quarterback is starting.
Lock’s job does not need to be to recreate Darnold’s exact role. The more realistic path is to lean into what Lock does best, keep the protection plan manageable and avoid asking the offense to win solely through high-variance throws.
Seattle also has the benefit of preparing for this change before game day. Macdonald’s announcement came early enough in the practice week for the offensive staff to shape the plan around Lock instead of splitting first-team work deep into the week.
Milroe’s role also becomes more important
With Darnold out, Milroe moves one snap closer to the field. Macdonald indicated that the rookie will get additional work this week, even though Lock is clearly the starter.
That matters beyond emergency depth. Seattle now has to make sure its backup plan is functional if Lock takes a hard hit or the game forces the offense to adjust. Milroe’s athleticism gives the coaching staff a different skill set to work with, but any role he gets should be viewed as secondary to preparing Lock for a full start.
What to watch next
The next meaningful Darnold update will come after the Cardinals game, when Seattle reassesses whether he can increase football activity ahead of Week 3. The fact that he is not going on injured reserve keeps the door open for a relatively quick return, but the Seahawks are not putting a firm date on it yet.
For Week 2, there is no ambiguity: Lock is the starter, Milroe is the backup, and Seattle is moving forward without Darnold against Arizona.
Sources
- Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold ruled out for Week 2; Drew Lock will start (September 16, 2026)
- NFL.com: Seahawks rule out Darnold, Lock to start vs. Cardinals (September 16, 2026)