The Seattle Seahawks will be without at least four important defensive players for Monday night’s game against the Detroit Lions.On Saturday’s final injury report, the Seahawks ruled out outside linebackers Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu (knees), defensive end Leonard Williams (ribs), and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (hamstring).
“You got four guys down, that’s four more guys who are going to be up,” head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters following Saturday’s practice.
“I’m looking forward to watching those guys play. When you talk about having depth on your football team, you want the feeling to be, ‘OK, I can’t wait to see who gets that opportunity now.’
“So, that’s that’s our view is that guys gonna have more opportunities than they’ve usually had and looking forward to seeing what they do.” Inside linebacker Jerome Baker (hamstring) is classified as questionable.
Running back Kenneth Walker III (oblique) and several others did not have a designation despite being mentioned on the injury report for the prior two days.
Mafe has had an excellent start to his third NFL season, with three sacks and four tackles for loss in the first three games. According to Pro Football Focus, his 17 total quarterback pressures rank tied for fourth in the NFL among edge rushers. Nwosu is still out rehabbing from an MCL strain suffered in the preseason finale versus Cleveland.
Seattle kept him off the injured reserve list at the start of the season, hoping he’d be able to return before the four-week mark. Nwosu recorded 9 1/2 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2022, and two sacks and four tackles for loss in just six games in 2023 before being sidelined by a torn pectoral muscle.
“This guy works very hard. “It was worth the shot,” Macdonald said of the decision to keep Nwosu on the IR. “Having him out and doing all this stuff on the field, some of the walk-throughs and things and staying engaged, I think was the right decision even though it didn’t work out in our favor.”
Trevis Gipson is expected to spend more time on the edge, with regulars Derick Hall and Dre’Mont Jones. The absences of Williams and Murphy also have a significant impact on the defensive line. Both were injured during the first half of last week’s home victory over Miami and did not return.
Williams has one and a half sacks and one tackle for loss. Murphy is a 2024 first-round draft pick, has a half-sack and one tackle for loss. Mike Morris and Myles Adams are expected to fill the void, along with veterans Johnathan Hankins and Jarran Reed.
Baker missed last week’s game due to an injury suffered in Week 2 against New England. He recorded nine tackles and one tackle for loss in the first two games.
With Baker missing last week, rookie Tyrice Knight started at linebacker, and Drake Thomas rotated in as well. Walker has been sidelined since injured his oblique in the season opener against Denver.
He carried for 103 yards and one touchdown in the triumph. “He’s looked good,” Macdonald commented. “He’s ready to go.”
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