Sam Darnold is recovering from his glute injury faster than expected and could return to practice in some form this week, Ian Rapoport said Sunday on NFL GameDay.
Rapoport, an insider for ESPN and NFL Network, said a return in Week 3 is on the table but not the most likely outcome.
“Now, could he play Week 3? Possible,” Rapoport said. “A little bit of a stretch, but possible. Week 4 seems like the more likely target for Sam Darnold.”
That puts the Seahawks’ Oct. 4 home game against the Los Angeles Chargers in focus.
A Week 4 return would come 25 days after the injury. Earlier in the week, ESPN had reported that Darnold could miss roughly four weeks, with hope for a quicker return.
Darnold went down on the fifth snap of the season Sept. 9, when he was sacked on third down on Seattle’s opening drive against the New England Patriots.
The team first labeled it a hip injury. It later clarified that the hip joint was not involved and called the problem a “very unique soft-tissue injury” to his right glute.
Seattle chose not to place him on injured reserve, which would have ruled him out for at least four games. Coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that Darnold was doing well in rehab and that the staff would reevaluate him daily.
Drew Lock starts Sunday at Arizona, with kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium. Jalen Milroe is the backup.
Lock won the opener in relief, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown in a 13-10 victory. He is 10-18 as a starter across stints with Denver, Seattle and the New York Giants.
The next two games decide how much Lock is asked to carry.
Seattle visits the Washington Commanders on Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET at Northwest Stadium. It is one of only two 10 a.m. Pacific kickoffs on the Seahawks’ schedule. Darnold led a win in Washington last season.
The Chargers come to Lumen Field on Oct. 4 at 4:25 p.m. ET. Jim Harbaugh’s team opened this season with a 26-14 loss to Arizona.
The San Francisco 49ers follow on Oct. 11, and Seattle plays at Denver on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Darnold is the reigning Super Bowl champion quarterback. Seattle opened this season with a rematch of Super Bowl LX against New England and won it without him.
A return to practice this week would be the first on-field step. Should he get through a full week of work without a setback, the Commanders game remains a possibility, with the Chargers matchup as the stated target.
