The Seattle Seahawks gave up a pair of draft picks to get six-time All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson. And just a game into his Seahawks tenure, Nelson — who played a full season seven of his first eight years with the Indianapolis Colts — is sidelined.
The 30-year-old interior offensive lineman will be out Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals with a knee injury that’s requiring a minor procedure, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters on Friday.
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Nelson is “week-to-week,” McDonald said, noting that the Seahawks are not going to put him on injured reserve.
“There’s a timeline right now that warrants not IR, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Macdonald said.
A battered 4-4 Seattle squad will also be down the likes of quarterback Sam Darnold (quad), left tackle Charles Cross (ankle), wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (knee) and defensive tackle Leonard Williams (stinger) against Arizona. But, following a road game next week versus the Las Vegas Raiders, the Seahawks will have a much-needed bye.
When asked what happened to Nelson, Macdonald said Nelson had something he was dealing with when he arrived from Indianapolis. Given that he passed his physical before the trade went through — from which the Colts received a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick — it’s clear that the issue’s worsened since.
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“We re-imaged it, and it was aggravated to some degree, so we’ve kind of done the due diligence, and everybody agrees it’s best to take care of it now and play the long game.”
Macdonald said Friday that the Seahawks learned of Nelson’s latest development in the last 24 hours.
In Nelson’s absence, Anthony Bradford will be back up at right guard, and Grey Zabel — this year’s No. 18 overall pick, who started at RG during Monday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears — will return to left guard, where he played the first seven games.
Drew Lock will get the start this weekend, Macdonald confirmed, even though he’s been handling a right elbow injury.
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Lock stepped in under center earlier this season when Darnold went out with a glute injury in the opener. He guided Seattle to wins over the New England Patriots and the Cardinals, firing four touchdown strikes and no interceptions while completing 72.9% of his passes in the process.
Macdonald said Friday that, out of precaution, Seattle managed Lock’s throwing this week, considering his elbow situation.
Jalen Milroe, whom the Seahawks selected out of Alabama in the third round last year, will back up Lock.
