Seattle Seahawks veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu is set to make his season debut in Sunday’s Week 2 road matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike Macdonald said Friday.
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Nwosu, who has been working back from offseason knee surgery, was a full participant in practice this week after sitting out this past Sunday’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Macdonald indicated Nwosu will probably be on a snap count against the Steelers.
“We’ll see how many plays, but Uchenna will make his debut,” Macdonald said. “We’re really excited, and he’s working his tail off. He’s practicing great. Really happy for him because of the work that he’s put in. We found out that initial timetable and he’s knocked that out of the park, so can’t wait to watch him play.”
Nwosu’s return could provide be a significant boost to the Seahawks’ edge-rushing rotation, which includes Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Nwosu and four-time Pro Bowl free-agent addition DeMarcus Lawrence.
The big key, of course, is whether the 28-year-old Nwosu can stay healthy.
Since racking up a career-high 9.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss during his first season with the Seahawks in 2022, Nwosu missed a combined 22 games over the past two seasons due to a trio of injuries. He missed 11 games in 2023 with a season-ending torn pectoral muscle, the first four games of 2024 with a sprained MCL and then another seven games last year with a quad strain.
Following the slew of injuries, Nwosu agreed to a reworked contract this offseason, according to OverTheCap.com. He reportedly agreed to a $6.99 million pay cut for 2025, which means he now has two years and $19.51 million left on his contract. His previous contract was a three-year, $45 million extension that he signed in July 2023.
Back in March, Seahawks general manager John Schneider hinted at the possibility of Nwosu opening the season on the physically unable to perform list, which would have required him to miss at least the first four games. But Macdonald said last month that Nwosu was “ahead of schedule,” and the Seahawks placed him on their initial 53-man roster in late August, which indicated they were confident in his ability to return prior to Week 5.
“I just can’t wait to see him run out there, and I know the guys are fired up,” Macdonald said. “He’s earned this opportunity, and hopefully this is the first of many great performances this year and years to come.”
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