Darnold is back for Week 3 at Washington after leaving Week 1 against New England with a hip injury and missing Week 2 at Arizona. Drew Lock filled in admirably, scoring 27.4 Fantasy points against the Cardinals, and Darnold will hopefully do something similar against the Commanders. He played at Washington in Week 9 last season and passed for 330 yards, four touchdowns and one interception and scored 35.2 Fantasy points. The Commanders are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks coming into Week 3. Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott combined for 482 passing yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions, along with 11 carries for 72 yards in two games, and I like Darnold as a low-end starter in one-quarterback leagues and a must-start option in Superflex and two-quarterback formats.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Returning to action Sunday
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Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday that Darnold (glute) is "going to play" Sunday at Washington, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Darnold thus will miss only seven-plus quarters after initial reports indicated that he could be out up to one month due to the right glute injury he picked up in the Seahawks' Week 1 victory against the Patriots. Considering he logged a full practice Thursday, he'll supplant Drew Lock in the starting lineup this weekend, looking to build upon his one completion on two pass attempts for 13 yards so far this season.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: 'Feeling good' during Week 3 prep
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Darnold (glute) said Thursday that he's "feeling good" and aiming to play Sunday at Washington, but the Seahawks are taking the situation "day by day," John Boyle of the team's official site reports.
Darnold got back on the practice field Wednesday as a limited participant, splitting reps with No. 2 QB Drew Lock. Coach Mike Macdonald told Brady Henderson of ESPN.com that Darnold was "on a good track" to return to action for the first time since Seattle's first drive of the season Week 1. Darnold's activity level is expected to increase as the week goes on, but Thursday's injury report will reveal if he was limited again or upgraded to full participation.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: On 'good track' for Sunday, per coach
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Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said after Wednesday's practice that Darnold (glute) is "on a good track" to play Sunday against the Commanders, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.
After suffering a right glute strain early in the Seahawks' season-opening win over the Patriots, Darnold sat out the team's Week 2 win in Arizona, but that could end up being the extent of his absence. Darnold returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, splitting first-team reps with Drew Lock. Macdonald noted that Darnold's workload will be ramped up as the week progresses, and if the 29-year-old responds well to the added reps, he could get the green light to start Sunday in Washington. The Seahawks are likely to wait until after Friday's practice concludes before formally deciding on a Week 3 starter.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Will practice Wednesday
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Darnold (glute) will practice Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The Seahawks quarterback has been trending toward a quicker return than initially expected after coach Mike Macdonald said Sunday that Darnold was ahead of schedule in his recovery. With the QB set to get back on the practice field, he hasn't yet been ruled out for Week 3 against Washington. Darnold's level of practice participation during the week should provide more clarity on whether he's on track to return Sunday, or whether Drew Lock will be in line for another start.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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We'll see if Darnold (hip) can play in Week 3 at Washington after missing Week 2, and Darnold would be a decent streaming option in deeper leagues. The Commanders are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks and lead the NFL with seven passing touchdowns allowed to Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott. Darnold is worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAAB. If Darnold is out, then you can pivot to Drew Lock (9 percent rostered), who just had 235 passing yards and three touchdowns in Week 2 at Arizona. Lock is worth 1 percent of your remaining FAAB in one-quarterback leagues and 10 percent in Superflex and two-quarterback formats.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Ahead of schedule in recovery
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Darnold (glute) is ahead of schedule in his recovery and has a chance to practice ahead of Seattle's Week 3 road game against the Commanders, head coach Mike Macdonald said after Sunday's 31-7 victory over the Cardinals, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Macdonald added that "the timetable has shifted quite drastically" for Darnold's recovery. It sounds like Darnold has a chance to return as soon as next Sunday, though the Seahawks have little reason to rush his return with backup QB Drew Lock having led the team to a 2-0 record. Darnold's first step toward game action would be a return to practice, and his first chance to do so will come Wednesday.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Could practice this week
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Darnold (glute), who has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Arizona, is "recovering faster than anyone had anticipated" and has a "pretty good chance" of practicing at some point during Week 3, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Drew Lock will get the starting nod for Seattle in Week 2 while Darnold tends to the right glute injury he sustained in the Sept. 9 season-opening win over the Patriots, but Darnold looks like he'll be back under center for the Seahawks sooner rather than later. Rapoport relays it might be "a little bit of a stretch" for Darnold to play Week 3 against the Commanders, but the 29-year-old's outlook could change depending on how extensively he's able to practice leading up to that contest. At this time, the Seahawks' Week 4 matchup with the Chargers appears to be a likelier target for Darnold's return to the lineup.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Expected back after short absence
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Darnold (glute) is dealing with a "very unique" soft-tissue injury, but his hip joint is unaffected, and the issue is considered short term, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.
Darnold appears to be dealing with a less serious issue than initially feared, as the injury isn't structural and isn't to his hip. The veteran QB still doesn't have a firm return timeline, but the latest update supports the expectation that his absence should be brief. While Darnold is out, Drew Lock is expected to direct Seattle's offense.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Dealing with glute injury
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Darnold is nursing a glute injury rather than a hip issue and is expected to miss next Sunday's game against the Cardinals, but he could return to action Week 3 versus the Commanders, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Darnold played just five snaps in Wednesday's 13-10 win over the Patriots before being removed from the game due to an apparent right hip injury. The Seahawks sent the quarterback in for an MRI and CT scan, and while an exact diagnosis of his injury wasn't provided by the team, head coach Mike Macdonald relayed that Darnold received favorable news from his medical tests. Drew Lock appears poised to start Week 2 while Darnold receives additional time to heal from the glute injury, but the Seahawks haven't closed the door on Darnold being ready to go for Week 3.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Receives good news on hip injury
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Darnold (hip) received "really, really good news" regarding his injury, according to coach Mike McDonald, ESPN.com reports. "His hip is intact, and it's good," McDonald said Thursday.
Darnold underwent testing for his hip injury suffered in the season opener, including an initial CT scan followed by an MRI. The results are encouraging, as Darnold is believed to have "dodged a bullet" and is only expected to miss minimal time. An appearance for Darnold in Week 2 does not look likely at this stage, but the Week 3 game against the Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 27 is an optimistic but possible return date. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, Darnold is primarily dealing with hip soreness.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Dodges bullet but could miss time
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Darnold (hip) is expected to miss some time due to the hip injury he sustained in Wednesday's 13-10 win over the Patriots, but the Seahawks believe their starting quarterback has "dodged a bullet," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Team doctors are still reviewing the results of the MRI that Darnold underwent on his injury Thursday morning, but the early results suggest Darnold isn't facing a long-term absence. Drew Lock looks likely to be tabbed as the starting quarterback for the team's Week 2 road game against the Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 20. Lock threw for 187 yards and a touchdown following Darnold's first-quarter exit in Wednesday's season-opening win.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: In line for MRI on hip
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Darnold underwent a CT scan on his hip and is expected to undergo an MRI on Thursday after the quarterback didn't return to Wednesday's win against the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
Darnold injured his hip on the Seahawks' fifth offensive play of the game and eventually was ruled out. Per Schefter, the results of Darnold's CT scan were encouraging yet inclusive, while coach Mike Macdonald told Corbin K. Smith of SI.com postgame that a fracture has been ruled out, with more tests to be done. A number of scenarios appear to be on the table for Seattle's starting QB, but if Darnold needs to miss any time, Drew Lock would get another opportunity to lead the offense.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Questionable to return
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Darnold (hip) left Wednesday night's contest against the Patriots in the first quarter, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Darnold suffered a hip injury on the Seahawks' opening possession, and he is now considered questionable to return to the contest, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Drew Lock has entered the contest at quarterback for Seattle.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Not playing Saturday
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Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday that Darnold won't suit up for Saturday's preseason game versus the Cowboys, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Darnold will have two more opportunities to log some exhibition action before the regular season, with the next such chance coming Sunday, Aug. 23 at Tennessee. While the Seahawks' receiving corps didn't experience significant changes in the offseason, the backfield lost Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs in free agency, while Zach Charbonnet remains in recovery mode from a January ACL tear. Darnold thus will be handing off to some combination of rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price (lower body), George Holani and Emanuel Wilson to kick off the regular season.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Building rapport with new OC
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Darnold and the Seahawks offense are adjusting to the scheme of new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.
Darnold enjoyed a productive 2025 season with Klint Kubiak as the offensive coordinator, with the duo playing a key part in the Seahawks' Super Bowl LX win. After Kubiak left for Las Vegas to be the head coach, Seattle brought in Fleury to take over as the offensive coordinator after four years as San Francisco's tight ends coach. Fleury has no experience calling plays, so he and Darnold have used the offseason to work toward full alignment on how to approach each game and series. The Seahawks also lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs in the offseason, but Darnold still has Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and tight end AJ Barner. Darnold and the offense will look to iron out the details in training camp and preseason games before starting their title defense in a Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Serviceable performance in SB win
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Darnold completed 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and added two rushes for five yards during the Seahawks' 29-13 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
Both quarterbacks were under pressure early and often from the talented opposing defenses, but for three-plus quarters, Darnold handled the adversity slightly more effectively than the much younger Drake Maye. Darnold managed to take just one sack while throwing the ball away in the nick of time on several occasions, and he was able to string together enough positive plays through the air to keep the chains moving when RB Kenneth Walker wasn't knifing through New England's front. Darnold relied most on Cooper Kupp and AJ Barner, with the former helping to make up for the blanket coverage on Jaxon Smith-Njigba and his brief second-half absence to be evaluated for a possible concussion. Barner was also on the receiving end of Darnold's one touchdown pass, which came from 16 yards out early in the fourth quarter. Just as important, the veteran signal-caller managed to close out a turnover-free postseason after having committed 20 in 17 regular-season contests during his 2025 Seahawks debut campaign.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Limited Wednesday
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Darnold (oblique) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Darnold continues to operate with practice restrictions due to the left oblique injury he sustained just days before the Seahawks' playoff opener against the 49ers in the divisional round. Seattle didn't tag him with a designation after the first week of Super Bowl LX prep, and the quarterback himself told Brady Henderson of ESPN.com on Wednesday that he "feels really good. ... I'm always going to take it one step at a time, do my rehab and do everything I need to do to make sure it feels great going into practice and going into the game" Sunday against the Patriots. Darnold has two more chances to get back to full this week before the team will need to decide whether to list him as questionable for the final game of the campaign.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Listed as limited Wednesday
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Darnold (oblique) was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice estimate, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Since injuring his left oblique in practice ahead of the Seahawks' divisional-round game against the 49ers, Darnold has operated with practice restrictions but suited up for both of the team's playoff contests, completing 37 of 53 passes (69.8 percent) for 470 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the process. After Sunday's victory over the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, coach Mike Macdonald told Brady Henderson of ESPN.com on Monday that Darnold was dealing with some soreness, but the oblique issue remains "nothing major." Darnold will have a week and a half to get as healthy as possible ahead of Super Bowl LX versus the Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Set to play Sunday
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Darnold (oblique) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Rams, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Darnold was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday as he continues to manage an oblique injury that occurred in practice last Thursday, but he'll be available to face the Rams on Sunday. In this past Saturday's 41-6 divisional-round win over the 49ers, Darnold was efficient with modest volume, completing 12 of his 17 passing attempts for 124 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers en route to compiling a 110.9 passer rating.
