In a Seahawks Mailbag on Nov. 4, coach Mike Macdonald and the team’s staff discussed Sam Darnold’s injuries, Grey Zabel’s position switch, Leonard Williams’ status and the club’s approach ahead of the trade deadline.
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The Seahawks are back at work on a short week after a Monday night loss to the Bears, preparing for a Week 9 matchup against the Cardinals, and the team’s latest Mailbag addressed several questions as the club gets ready to close out the week.
One of the main topics was Sam Darnold’s absence following the Monday game. The Seahawks said his injury was not a “made-up” sidelining, responding directly to speculation that the team was benching him in favour of Drew Lock. The team said Darnold has a “real injury—a couple of them”—after being hurt on multiple plays: he fractured a rib on the second play of the game and then later suffered a quad injury that left him limping after the game. The Mailbag also noted that Macdonald revealed the rib injury to the media only after asking for Darnold’s permission.
The Mailbag further pointed to Drew Lock’s own health as part of why a quarterback switch was not being framed as something the Seahawks were trying to force at this time. It said Lock has been limited in practice for the past two weeks because of an elbow injury, making it “hardly the ideal time” to make a change.
On the offensive line, the Mailbag also looked at why Grey Zabel was at right guard when the team has Anthony Bradford available. The staff said Zabel has “plenty of good moments,” and that moving him to right guard is part of a longer process rather than a decision that can be quickly reversed without setbacks. The Mailbag quotes Macdonald explaining that changing mid-adjustment would “only hurt Zabel’s adjustment to playing on the right side,” and said the move was made because the “best starting lineup” had Zabel at right guard after Quenton Nelson joined the group in a trade.
Macdonald also addressed the broader context of roster and continuity adjustments, saying the team has dealt with offensive line absences for stretches, including noting that Charles Cross missed games last year, while expressing confidence that the unit will improve as the players work through the transition.
The Mailbag included questions about the trade market as well. When asked who the Seahawks are trading for, the staff pointed to the possibility of another addition before the next week’s deadline, while also noting the club’s recent pattern of making a larger move before the cutoff—citing Leonard Williams in 2023, Ernest Jones IV in 2024 and Rashid Shaheed in 2025. The discussion added that if the Seahawks see good players available, general manager and president of football operations John Schneider is likely to “at least look into” options.
In player production, the Mailbag addressed Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s yardage projections. It said that on his current pace, Smith-Njigba is forecast for 2,092 yards, making 2,100 yards “not that much of a stretch.” The staff also cited his production through eight games—64 receptions for 985 yards and nine touchdowns—while noting that overall receiver output can depend on multiple factors.
Receiver support was also reflected in a question about Smith-Njigba and the toughest picture from his season. The Mailbag referenced a photo of Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon in the locker room after Super Bowl LX and noted the two players arrived together as first-round picks in 2023 and became close during their run.
Defensive health was another focus. Asked about Leonard Williams’ status after he left Monday’s game with a stinger, Macdonald was described as not having a definitive update. However, the Mailbag said Macdonald indicated he and three players who missed the game due to injury—Charles Cross, Rashid Shaheed and Uchenna Nwosu—at least have a shot to play on Sunday, adding that “We haven’t ruled anybody out yet.”
The Mailbag also responded to a fan request for blackout uniforms, explaining that the league limits the number of uniform combinations teams can use. The staff said adding a black alternate would require giving up another option, and noted the Seahawks still need room in their schedule for white throwbacks next season, making it difficult to add yet another uniform category.
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