Brady Henderson, ESPN
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks shall be with out at the very least three key defenders Thursday night time after ruling out Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen, exterior linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and defensive deal with Byron Murphy II for their NFC West showdown with the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field.
Another defensive starter, Pro Bowl security Julian Love, is listed as questionable.
Coach Mike Macdonald mentioned at the beginning of the week that Nwosu (thigh) wouldn't play and that Murphy (hamstring) was most likely out, as properly, however Woolen's standing was much less clear due to the ankle damage that knocked him out of Seattle's loss Sunday to the New York Giants.
“We'll see next week, but he looks good right now,” Macdonald mentioned Wednesday. “He's moving around all right. He's just not ready to go this game.”
Tre Brown, who struggled against the Giants, is Seattle's third cornerback behind Woolen and fellow Pro Bowl participant Devon Witherspoon. The crew additionally has veteran Artie Burns on its observe squad and rookie Nehemiah Pritchett on its 53-man roster.
Macdonald confirmed Nwosu was headed to injured reserve and indicated he was anticipated to be sidelined for greater than the minimal of 4 video games. Nwosu sat out the ultimate 11 video games of final season due to a torn pectoral muscle and the primary 4 video games of this season due to an MCL sprain. He made his 2024 debut against the Giants however went down once more on his twentieth snap.
“We think there's a really good chance to get him back by the end of the season,” Macdonald mentioned. “We're with him right now. He needs our support. The guy's gone through a tough time. He's going to battle his tail off. He's going to be back better than ever, but it's just unfortunate for him. He's a guy that we lean on as a team and he's a leader on our defense and our football team. But he has an opportunity to come back and be healthy and be fresh for the end-of-the-season run.”
The Seahawks are anticipated to have their different two high exterior linebackers accessible Thursday. Boye Mafe (knee) and Derick Hall (foot) are questionable, however Macdonald mentioned he is assured they're going to play. Mafe sat out the previous two video games, and Hall, who leads Seattle with 5.0 sacks, went down late against the Giants.
Macdonald mentioned Love (hamstring) would most likely be a game-time choice.
Including the playoffs, the Seahawks have misplaced 5 straight to San Francisco courting to the beginning of the 2022 season. The 49ers have outscored them 148-72 in that span.
