Seahawks Start Six Players Sit Against Cardinals, Including New Arrival Quenton Nelson

Seattle Seahawks fans will see a familiar but incomplete lineup on Sunday when they face the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Coach Mike Macdonald confirmed on Friday that six starters will miss the game, a decision that reshuffles the offensive line and forces a change at the quarterback position.

Quenton Nelson, who joined Seattle via trade from the Indianapolis Colts just last week, is the most notable absence. The All-Pro left guard requires a minor procedure to clean out cartilage in his knee. Macdonald explained that Nelson arrived with an existing issue that was aggravated since the trade. The coach said the team performed new imaging and agreed it was best to address the problem now rather than risk further damage. Nelson will be designated week-to-week and will not be placed on injured reserve.

Quarterback Sam Darnold also will not play due to a quad injury. Darnold suffered a cracked rib on the second play of Monday night's loss to the Chicago Bears and then hurt his quadriceps near the end of the same contest. Macdonald stated that Darnold will remain active but sit out this week. With Darnold out, Drew Lock will start despite a right elbow injury that limited his throwing in recent weeks. Lock was listed as a limited participant in practice on Friday, continuing a trend that has seen him on the injury report for every game since Week 6.

The other three starters missing from Sunday's roster are defensive tackle Leonard Williams with a stinger, outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu with an ankle issue, and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed with a knee problem. Left tackle Charles Cross is also out with an ankle injury. The team is managing its depth chart carefully, having had to prepare backup quarterback Jalen Milroe in case they needed a third option. Macdonald noted that they are limiting Lock's practice reps as a precautionary measure.

Seattle will adjust its offensive line to accommodate Nelson's absence. Grey Zabel will move back to left guard, while Anthony Bradford returns to the starting role at right guard. Josh Jones will start at left tackle. This lineup change comes after Seattle acquired Nelson for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. The Seahawks are currently 4-4, while their opponents the Cardinals are 3-5.

Nelson played every offensive snap in Monday night's game against Chicago. He was seen wearing a sleeve on his right leg during the week and was listed as limited in Wednesday's practice before missing the last two sessions. The team also signed Adrian Martinez to the practice squad earlier this week to add quarterback depth. Martinez was the MVP of the United Football League before joining the NFL.