Sam Darnold Returns to Seahawks Practice, But Drew Lock Just Made Things Interesting

Sam Darnold is officially back on the practice field for the Seattle Seahawks, which is great news for his glute and potentially complicated news for everyone else. Head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters that the veteran quarterback will ramp up as the week goes along, aiming for a return to the starting lineup.

Darnold left the season opener early with a soft-tissue injury that forced him to sit out Week 2. Now he is trending toward playing against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, assuming his practice reps go smoothly and his body holds up to the workload.

"Mike Macdonald told reporters Darnold will practice today and ramp up as the week goes along."

But here is where the sports theater gets good. While Darnold was resting, backup Drew Lock stepped in and casually dropped a 139.1 passer rating on the Arizona Cardinals. Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-7 blowout, looking less like a backup and more like a guy who wants to keep the keys to the car.

The Seahawks are sitting pretty at 2-0, meaning Macdonald has the luxury of not rushing his starter back. But in the NFL, a backup throwing three touchdowns without a turnover is the quickest way to start a localized quarterback controversy. You do not just put a 139.1 rating back in the garage without at least looking at it twice.

For the betting markets, this creates a fun little headache. Oddsmakers now have to price a Seattle offense that looked completely fine without its starter, while bettors have to guess if a ramping-up Darnold is actually an upgrade over a red-hot Lock against Washington.

Macdonald says the plan is to see how much Darnold can handle by Wednesday. If he looks fully healthy, it is his job. If he tweaks something, Lock is waiting right there with a freshly polished resume and a very live arm.