The Seahawks are back to work on a short week coming off of Monday night's loss to the Bears, and with an abbreviated week to get ready for a Week 9 game against the Cardinals, this will also be a slightly shorter mailbag, so let's get right to it.
As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.
From Instagram
@uhm_dirk asks, "Are you guys making up an injury to be able to bench Sam Darnold and start Drew Lock?"
A: I've seen and heard a lot of this talk since Mike Macdonald announced that Sam Darnold will be out this week due to a quad injury, and the answer is a resounding no. This is not a made-up injury or a soft benching or whatever other conspiracy theory people might want to throw out there.
Sam Darnold is the Seahawks' starting quarterback, and, by the way, the guy who helped lead the team to a Super Bowl title only nine months ago, in case y'all forgot. First off, Darnold does have a real injury—a couple of them, actually—and if you saw the hits he took Monday, or how slowly/gingerly he was moving after the game, you wouldn't doubt that. Darnold fractured a rib on the second play of the game but kept it to himself—Macdonald only revealed the injury to media after asking his quarterback's permission to do so—and then, many hits later, suffered a quad injury that had him limping after the game.
There's also the fact that Drew Lock has been dealing with an elbow injury that has left him very limited in practice the past two weeks, so this is hardly the ideal time to be making a switch. And lastly, Macdonald has not been afraid to make in-season lineup changes when he sees fit, so if he wanted to make a change at QB—and again, that's not what this is—he wouldn't hide behind a "made up" injury to do it.
@4problemszz asks, "Who are we trading for?"
A: How about an All-Pro guard? Maybe someone like Quenton Nelson? Oh wait, they already did that. But could the Seahawks make another trade before next week's deadline? It's certainly possible given general manager and president of football operations John Schneider's track record of being aggressive this time of year. As I wrote in this space last week, Schneider takes pride in being in on everything, so if good players are available right now for trade, he'll at least look into. That being said, his history in recent years has been to make one big addition before the deadline—Leonard Williams in 2023, Ernest Jones IV in 2024 and Rashid Shaheed in 2025—so if he sticks with that pattern, Nelson could be it. But again, there's a week to go still before the deadline, so another addition is possible.
@efren_m2009 asks, "JSN 2,100 yards?"
A: Well, on his current pace, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on pace for 2,092 yards, so 2,100 isn't that much of a stretch. That being said, maintaining the pace Smith-Njigba is on will be really, really tough, no matter how great he is, and he's pretty darn great. Receiver production is dependent on so many things, from how well a quarterback is playing to pass protection to how a defense tries to take him away to game situations (his "worst" game this season was the result of Seattle building a big early lead on the Chargers). So it's entirely possible for Smith-Njigba to have a quiet game through no fault of his own.
All of that being said, it's impossible not to look at what Smith-Njigba has done through eight games, catching 64 passes for 985 yards and nine touchdowns, and wonder just how high those numbers can go.
@quzy1_ asks, "What's the toughest JSN picture you have?"
A: Don't know about toughest, but my favorite is definitely this one I took of him and Devon Witherspoon in the locker room not long after Super Bowl LX.
Those two, who arrived together as first-round picks in 2023, have become close friends and both are a huge reason the team won the Super Bowl, so it was special to be able to see them enjoy the moment together after the Super Bowl win.
From Twitter/X
@casmoneydrunk asks, "Y'all think it was a soft benching?"
A: I addressed this earlier, but again, no, this is ridiculous. Stop it.
@jaxonsnjiba asks, "Grey Zabel did not look comfortable at right guard, why was an adjustment not made to but Anthony Bradford in at right guard at the half?"
A: Zabel would be the first to say he can and will get better with the move to right guard, but he also had plenty of good moments on Monday night. But I do understand the sentiment here given that Bradford is experienced at right guard and was coming off a strong performance against the Chiefs. But the problem with making a change is that doing so would only hurt Zabel's adjustment to playing on the right side. With Quenton Nelson arriving in a trade, the decision was made that the best starting lineup included moving Zabel to right guard, so if that's what the Seahawks are going to do, they're better off, long-term to committing to it and letting Zabel adjust as quickly as possible.
"We had to make the decision and go," Macdonald said when asked about Zabel. "We're committed to that. We're confident in AB to go in and play good football for us. Also, Grey's going to continue to get better as well. You understand that there's a process. We've played a lot of games with our offensive line missing a guy here or there. Charles (Cross) missed a couple games last year, but a lot of consistency and continuity at our offensive line position, which has been great. It's worth it when you bring in a guy like Quenton (Nelson) to add to the group. He's one of those guys that's going to be a force multiplier for our group; not just our offensive line but our whole offensive unit and our football team. It's worth that initial investment. You want it to go quicker than not, but you also have to understand that there's a process involved. The guys are working their tails off. They're watching tape, they're getting after it. They're putting in the time, they're putting in the investments. I have all the confidence in the world that we're going to have a heck of an offensive line unit."
@wenfot asks, "What is the status on Leonard Williams' injury?"
A: Macdonald didn't have any definitive update on Williams, who left Monday's game with a stinger, but did say that 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.
"They all have a chance to play," Macdonald said. "We haven't ruled anybody out yet."
@carmella_nicole asks, "Can we have blackout uniforms, please? I think they would look really cool?"
A: They would look cool, as Bobby Wagner frequently pointed out of the years lobbying for a black alternate uniform. The problem is that the league only allows teams to wear a certain number of uniform combinations, so adding a black uniform would require getting rid of something. Already the Seahawks will have to find room in their closet, so to speak, for white throwbacks when they add those next season, so it would be tough to add yet another option.
Check out photos of the Seahawks 53-man roster for the 2026 season.
This is a 2026 photo of DeMarcus Lawrence of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence (0)
This is a 2026 photo of Drew Lock of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2)
This is a 2026 photo of Nick Emmanwori of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3)
This is a 2026 photo of Michael Dickson of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4)
This is a 2026 photo of Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5)
This is a 2026 photo of Jalen Milroe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe (6)
This is a 2025 photo of Uchenna Nwosu of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7)
This is a 2026 photo of Jadarian Price of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (8)
This is a 2026 photo of Cooper Kupp of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10)
This is a 2026 photo of Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11)
This is a 2026 photo of Ernest Jones IV of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13)
This is a 2026 photo of Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14)
This is a 2026 photo of Tory Horton of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15)
This is a 2026 photo of Julian Love of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20)
This is a 2026 photo of Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21)
This is a 2026 photo of Rashid Shaheed of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22)
This is a 2026 photo of Emanuel Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson (23)
This is a 2026 photo of Rodney Thomas II of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Rodney Thomas II (24)
This is a 2026 photo of Zach Charbonnet of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26)
Seahawks cornerback Avery Smith (27).
Seahawks cornerback Avery Smith (27)
This is a 2026 photo of Nehemiah Pritchett of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28)
This is a 2026 photo of Josh Jobe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29)
This is a 2026 photo of Drake Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (32)
This is a 2026 photo of Venus Jones Jr of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Velus Jones Jr. (33)
This is a 2026 photo of George Holani of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back George Holani (36)
This is a 2026 photo of Brady Russell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks fullback Brady Russell (38)
This is a 2026 photo of Ty Okada of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39)
This is a 2026 photo of Chris Stoll of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41)
This is a 2026 photo of Chazz Surratt of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Chazz Surratt (44)
This is a 2026 photo of Tyrice Knight of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48)
This is a 2026 photo of Patrick OíConnell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Patrick O'Connell (52)
Seahawks guard Quenton Nelson (53)
This is a 2026 photo of Olu Oluwatimi of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (55)
This is a 2026 photo of Dante Fowler of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (56)
This is a 2026 photo of Connor OíToole of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole (57)
This is a 2026 photo of Derick Hall of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58)
This is a 2026 photo of Jalen Sundell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Jalen Sundell (61)
This is a 2026 photo of Charles Cross of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67)
This is a 2026 photo of Beau Stephens of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Beau Stephens (70)
This is a 2026 photo of Abraham Lucas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Abraham Lucas (72)
This is a 2026 photo of Josh Jones of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Josh Jones (74)
This is a 2026 photo of Anthony Bradford of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75)
This is a 2026 photo of Grey Zabel of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76)
This is a 2026 photo of Eric Saubert of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Eric Saubert (81)
This is a 2026 photo of Irv Charles of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Irv Charles (85)
This is a 2026 photo of A.J. Barner of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88)
This is a 2026 photo of Nick Kallerup of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Nick Kallerup (89)
This is a 2024 photo of Jarran Reed of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90)
This is a 2026 photo of Byron Murphy II of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91)
This is a 2026 photo of Mike Morris of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Mike Morris (94)
This is a 2026 photo of Brandon Pili of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks nose tackle Brandon Pili (95)
This is a 2026 photo of Rylie Mills of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Rylie Mills (98)
This is a 2024 photo of Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99)
