Drew Lock has been one of the NFL’s most valuable players through two weeks, but he’s probably going back to the bench in Week 3 with the now expected return of Sam Darnold against the Washington Moons. Darnold was a full go in Thursday practice and Mike Macdonald’s “on a good track” report this week indicates a return to the field for the quarterback who Seaside Joe subscribers ranked as the third-most important player on the roster.
Not ranking first or second felt like a bit of a slight to Darnold, even if he was behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Leonard Williams. However, the Seahawks are 2-0 with Lock and he’s the NFL’s passer rating leader…and the newfound confidence in Seattle’s backup quarterback actually feels earned.
Will we see Lock (the 39th-ranked player on the list, which definitely seems low now) again in 2026 and if not, will another team offer him a prove-it contract at a starter’s salary next year?
Assuming the Seahawks haven’t taken my advice and extended him first.
It probably sounds crazy for Lock to stay in Seattle if he gets an offer to start somewhere else, but what if the Seahawks still give him a better chance of success than a bad team doomed to fail? We don’t know how soon it’ll be when the Seahawks could need his services again.
Look at Jameis Winston in New York. Weeks after signing a two-year extension as a backup, Winston is set to start the rest of the season with the Giants in place of Jaxson Dart. Lock looks good in Seattle, but will he be able to replicate that with the Browns, Jets, Dolphins, or Cardinals?
The odds have increased that we will find out. Until then, it’s Darnold’s Cadillac again.
Hey, don’t forget to take the Week 3 fan expectations survey! It’s only going to take you ONE minute or less!
West Seattle Tim: Do the Hawks rest Darnold another week knowing Daniels is out and Lock has been doing well? Or do they dress him and make him the backup for Lock just in case Lock flounders?
It would be unusual for a healthy starting quarterback to rest and sit out a game that matters, or to be the emergency backup. If it was a case of Darnold being 80%, then absolutely that argument makes sense to me. However, if the Seahawks are listing Darnold as “full practice” three days before the game then it definitely sounds like they expect him to be close to 100% by Sunday.
There’s nothing illogical about what you’re suggesting, Tim. That might be the move that sets Seattle up for the rest of the season.
The biggest problem I could see coming out of that decision would be giving everyone the impression that Darnold was healthy, not starting him, and then losing a game to Washington that the Seahawks should never lose. Even if Seattle would have still lost with Darnold, the perception would be that Mike Macdonald is “arrogant”, that the Seahawks “underestimated” the Moons, and it’s a situation that I don’t think the team could live down any time soon.
Of course, nobody likes the idea of playing on Washington’s field, especially a quarterback. But being afraid of getting injured is a whole other can of worms for football players. If you can go, you gotta go.
For clarification, Tim asked this question several days ago, before it was known that Darnold would be ahead of schedule and probable to return this week. In this new context, it looks like a clear decision to start Darnold.
sum monkey: Y’all need to make sure not to post any training camp videos next year. Coaches are using fan vids to gain advance knowledge. Got to protect Fleury
Good advice. I know there’s been a lot of discussion on this story this week, so how did it make you all feel?
Maxx: What is the story with Byron Murphy? With as much hype as he's been given and only 2 tackles in each game, is Murph just being his usual selfless teammate creating opportunities for others or is there something more going on?
Veteran NFL center AQ Shipley said this about Byron Murphy and this clip: “Byron Murphy is as good as I have seen with the DROP KNEE vs the Run”
Here he is creating havoc with Jacoby Brissett standing in his own end zone:
There are quite a few clips of Murphy creating chaos in the first two games, even if he only has four tackles. However, if you cross-checked what I said about Murphy in the offseason, which is that he could be a 12-15 sack guy, to the first two games, that would definitely come off as underwhelming. I wouldn’t blame anyone for feeling that way. There aren’t underlying “analytics” to make his case either, not pressures or stops or PFF grades.
This chart of double-team rate and pass rush win rate only has Murphy in the center of the graph (Leonard Williams’ double team rate is about 10% higher):
I can’t help but think that Murphy and Williams are the linchpins of the defense, holding everything together. That it’s not a coincidence that Murphy is a 70% snaps defensive tackle on the NFL’s best defense and that since 2025 Seattle hasn’t allowed a single 100-yard rusher. It must be extremely frustrating for teams to assigned TWO offensive linemen to block Murphy and he doesn’t move an inch.
There’s no “assist” stats for defensive players that I know about, but I would think of Murphy under those terms for now and he’s phenomenal in that regard.
That being said, elite players make plays for themselves too. It’s totally fair to expect the numbers to get better for Murphy if he wants to be a part of that class by the end of the season.
Ryan: When was really the last time we could count on a run game to put games on ice like the Hawks did on Sunday? Even last year we struggled to truly put games away (Cardinals Thursday night game, Jaguars, & Titans come to mind). Can we count on the run game moving forward?
Emanuel Wilson had six first down runs against the Cardinals, including three in the fourth quarter. Only 11 players have had more than six first down runs in a game this season, including a remarkable 14 by Jahmyr Gibbs against the Saints in Week 1.
(Kenneth Walker III has had at least seven in each of his first two games.)
For the Seahawks’ “backup” running back to already have a six-first downs game is exciting. It’s also encouraging for Brian Fleury, for John Benton, and for the offensive line, especially when they’re down a starter; Anthony Bradfod was placed on IR this week and will miss four games, at least.
It appears that Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens will continue to compete for those reps, without a clear starter at right guard for now.
Roger Woitte: I may have asked this too late in a previous QnA or missed the answer: Please explain “Begaw!”
I wouldn’t even know the complete origin story myself.
IdahoFred: I think it was a few years ago that someone tossed out Begaw in a comment. I don't remember the context. Since then, myself, Joe and other have used it. In general, there is no context to it. It just depends on how it is used. It is just unique word that seems to be exclusive to this comment section.
Sounds right. I remember that the originator gave his explanation for Begaw, but I’d do a bad job of re-telling the story myself. Anyone?
Ray: Can you give the O-Line coach the MVP(erson) award?
Eduardo: I'm interested in understanding the interchangeability of Tyrice Knight, Drake Thomas and Nick Emmanwori, once he's fully back. With the way Mike Mac plays with weakside linkebackers/SS and the hybrid abilities of all three, how would you frame their roles within our D?
The simplest answer is that Tyrice Knight is purely a backup player. He’s played 20 snaps and 19 of them have been against the run, meaning that as a pure downhill “find ball, hit ball” linebacker. Except that he hasn’t hit anything yet, he has zero tackles. If the offense lines up with 2 or 3 tight ends, you might see Knight, but even then probably not.
With Emmanwori’s playing time increasing in Week 3, we may not see Knight play any defensive snaps.
Drake Thomas is a 100% player and trusted in both passing and running situations. Mike Macdonald actually isn’t what I’d call “overly creative” with his linebacker rotation: There isn’t one. Thomas and Ernest Jones IV.
The question you have certainly stems from the 14 snaps Knight played in Week 1, when Emmanwori was out, playing about a third of his snaps as an edge. If Seattle is trying to match heavy personnel with eight men in the box, that’s when Knight might see the field. But in almost all situations, there’s no interchanging Knight and Thomas.
Emmanwori is a different beast altogether and not at odds with either Knight or Thomas for playing time. Emmanwori will play linebacker, but not necessarily at the “expense” of anyone else. Thomas is a weakside linebacker (WILL) and Emmanwori is a strongside linebacker (SAM).
Danno: If Darnold asks for over $60 APY, I personally feel JS would not meet that demand. I feel he’s always though highly of Lock, and yes, he isn’t Darnold, but if he balls out once again next week? Would Lock on a three year $100 million total at 1/2 Sam’s asking price make sense if it allows you to sign Murphy, Barner, and then Zabel and Emmanwori? We would also likely get two 1st round and two 2nd round picks for Darnold after another SB.
Moves like these are often categorized as “galaxy brain” or “4D chess” but always dismissed as fairy tales. Personally, I’m never against outside the box thinking and I’m certainly in favor of avoiding overpaid quarterbacks and acquiring tons of draft capital. It worked great in the cases of Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, and Bryce Young, when teams traded them (or their rights) for packages of future draft picks AND saved money.
That being said, do I think there’s a world in which the Seahawks win the Super Bowl with Sam Darnold this season and then trade him? No.
The Seahawks wouldn’t have traded Wilson if they had been winning recent Super Bowls, even if he was going to be overpaid. If Seattle wins back-to-back Super Bowls with Darnold, the band will stay together. And it’s not just about an effort to three-peat, it’ll also be about the long-term consequences:
The Seahawks and Sam Darnold would be immortalized as an all-time great pairing for decades to come if they went back-to-back.
Every repeat Super Bowl-winning QB is a legend*: Starr, Griese, Bradshaw (x2), Montana, Aikman, Elway, Brady, Mahomes.
*Certainly up to your interpretation and a matter of debate if these are the BEST quarterbacks of all-time (they definitely aren’t) but fans won’t forget that they went back-to-back and oftentimes won three Super Bowls. Now imagine if the Steelers had traded Terry Bradshaw in 1976 after his second Super Bowl win.
Are Bradshaw and Aikman top-5 all-time quarterbacks? I don’t think so. But those quarterbacks have an association with their teams that transcends individual talent AND it benefits both sides: The Steelers of the 70s and the Cowboys of the 90s are revered at a level (whether we hate it or not) that is rarely matched and that would not be the same if Dallas had said, “You know what? The entire team is so good, let’s just roll with Jason Garrett and trade Aikman for three first-round picks.” (Which they could have gotten back then.)
The difference between those eras and today — as you know and pointed out — is the money.
Two things about that, one that I know and one that I think:
I don’t think Sam Darnold is the type of player to hold Seattle hostage over money and I’m not saying that as a homer, because I would have never said the same about his two predecessors; he’s never given out any vibes at all that he’s worried about being known as the “highest paid” but that’s just a guess
I know that contract figures are overrated and misleading so if we’re just focusing on APY, there’s always a good chance that a player with making “$60 million per season” never actually goes over “$50 million” and it’s not like any of us about be caught off guard with how quickly these salaries are rising; $50 is the new $30
However, no matter what any of us say is a GOOD idea — whether we agree to your bold trade move or not — the fact of the matter is that I don’t see a world in which the Seahawks and Sam Darnold continue to have success together and immediately separate. Success=Extension, I don’t see any other outcome.
IdahoFred: Just watching the highlight replay I was amazed at the time Drew had to throw sometimes. What was your opinion on how the O-line played overall and what were some of the metrics that support that. Everyone is talking about Drew, JSN and the running backs but doesn't it all start with the line?
I don’t have much to add myself except that I agree. I think offensive line reputation is a delayed reaction and we may not see that continued national respect until 2027, assuming the Seahawks maintain this success. Things like Pro Bowls, whether they’re stupid or not, do more for offensive linemen’s reputation than anything else. I think Grey Zabel is by far the player most likely to get a Pro Bowl nod this year and he’d do it before anyone else on the line despite being the youngest.
For now, I don’t see the tackles getting a Pro Bowl this season. That could change.
Rusty: So the Seahawks have a plethora of defenders who can line up in multiple positions. Emmanwori, Witherspoon (who lined up as an edge defender last night), Love, Williams, and apparently Drake Thomas (did not know that until last night). Are there others on our D that do this, and how unique is this to the Seahawks?
I did answer a similar question back in August when I called the Seahawks “defensive chameleons”. I can’t say I’d know what else to add to that answer right now, but here’s a few fun facts about Seattle’s defense from Next Gen Stats:
As the season progresses, we can monitor how Mike Macdonald mixes up players at different positions. Generally speaking, I’d say it’s less about playing multiple positions and more about being able to slide into different roles from any position, i.e. a defensive end who can drop back into a hook defender like a linebacker.
Danno: The Seahawks entered the year with only Love and Okada as deep safeties. Okada is out and has yet to practice. That leaves Love alone, but they signed FINLEY to the 53 week one, and now have twice elevated Rodney Thomas to the 53 from the Ready Squad for weeks 1 and 2.
Danno asked this question four days ago, long before these moves were made and injuries noted:
Julian Love is injured (calf)
Rodney Thomas is signed to the active roster
If Love and Ty Okada are both out, then it seems like Thomas would start (obviously, he’s already starting) and A.J. Finley would be the next man up. Certainly Seattle would elevate someone from the practice squad with their two options being D’Anthony Bell and Maxen Hook. Bell has experience, but Hook might make more sense as a Love replacement.
Is there any chance that Avery Smith would get some consideration too? He’s been active both games but only playing on special teams and he’s primarily a cornerback.
Luckily, I don’t know if Washington has receivers (or Marcus Mariota has the arm) that would necessarily be a difficult challenge for a deep safety. So long as Seattle is stout up front and with their corners, linebackers, it could be the ideal week to be weak at safety.
These words “he’s the NFL’s passer rating leader”. Yes only 2 weeks in, but that is showing Lock playing with Fleury system, Coach calling some good plays, and frankly as we’ve already said, thank you Coach Benton and this OLine. I love this. Love it for Lock but everyone else.
And what is impressive and interesting. I responded to a person about Rashid. Our 2 QBs are 28th in pass attempts. Talk about success. 28th. JSN 22 of the 50 passes thrown. 10 total players getting passes to them. 28 split between 9 guys thus far. Rashid second to JSN in targets.
As for the graphic SJ, must be the stash on Lock. Maturity with a hint of playfulness.
As for SD. Exactly SJ. And recall no preseason for him. Initially I was very concerned about playing the Chargers without SD game action. Now less so, but if he’s 100% not wise to not play him. Better him knocking the rust off and get a couple score lead and then handing over to Lock.
But I still just love that first TD to JSN. Lock stepped back and basically didn’t move at all in the pocket. Almost 4 seconds and no need to move. Let JSN make his incredible head fake against Baker, boom, in stride. OLine perfect. Lock perfect. JSN just elite. Second best play that 3rd qtr outside play/run by Price. Man he looks good.
Hasselbeck recently noted the 2010, Week 17 game where he was banged up, but felt he was ready to play, and Pete decided to rest him. Charlie Whitehurst played, did just barely enough to win, the Seahawks went to the playoffs with a 7-9 record, and they Beastquaked the defending Super Bowl champs with Matt under center.
Hasselbeck was pissed. Pete placated him by saying that they would keep him active and bring him in at the end, if the situation needed him.
Hass still didn’t say it was the right decision. 16 years on. He feels that the QB needs to want to play no matter how banged up.
He also notes that participating in practice in a red jersey is one thing, and going all in with fast twitch reactions in a game is another story. Hopefully Sam is just a bit stiff and sore, but not tentative.
This has got to be tough on the coaches. How do you split the reps in practice, when it’s a gray area?
The ideal situation? The Seahawks blow the game wide open in the first half. Lock plays the second half or so, managing the win. That would be consistent with the was that the staff brings back other players on a pitch count.
One thing for sure, if Darnold isn’t quite 100%, but feels he can play, he’s not going to share all the details. He’s going to want to start and to play every last snap.