RENTON — On Monday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said ominously that the team hadn’t gotten through the previous day’s 31-17 win over Pittsburgh quite as clean health-wise as he had initially thought.
Before Wednesday’s practice, he tried to clarify that he hadn’t meant to indicate there were a spate of new injuries about to be revealed
“The sky is not falling,’’ he said with a smile. “… We got a couple guys working through some things, but nothing crazy.”
After Wednesday’s practice, when the Seahawks, by league rules, had to release an injury report, the full extent of the picture became clear, and a few potentially troublesome issues became apparent.
Specifically, running back Zach Charbonnet sat out practice with a foot injury, while safety Julian Love sat out with a hamstring injury as the Seahawks worked in full pads in preparation for Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. game at Lumen Field against the New Orleans Saints.
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Love dealt with what was described as a groin injury last week, so this would appear to be a new issue.
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon (knee) and safety Nick Emmanwori (ankle) also sat out again after missing the Pittsburgh game leaving it unclear if they will be able to return this week as Macdonald said the team has hoped.
Five other players were listed as limited: linebacker Derick Hall (hip), cornerback Josh Jobe (knee), linebacker Ernest Jones IV (shoulder), receiver Tory Horton (groin) and right tackle Abraham Lucas (elbow).
Hall suffered his injury late in Sunday’s game but returned to play. Center Jalen Sundell also left late in Sunday’s game with cramps but was not on Wednesday’s injury report.
Macdonald spoke to media before Wednesday’s practice so there were no other details on any of the new injuries.
Charbonnet played until the end of the Steelers game, getting a carry on the final offensive play.
Love also played the entire game and sitting out could be precautionary given his veteran status.
Macdonald has said his general preference is that players get at least some practice in during the week if they are going to play.
He’s also said the team is going to err on the side of caution early in the season in trying not to rush players back before they are ready and risking that they suffer a re-injury that makes it worse.
Emmanwori suffered a high ankle sprain on the first series of the loss to the 49ers, while Witherspoon suffered an MCL contusion in the fourth quarter.
Neither practiced last week, but Witherspoon went through an extensive workout on the field at Pittsburgh about two hours prior to kickoff. It does not appear he was close to playing.
Macdonald said Witherspoon could likely play without practicing, but that the team might be more reluctant to have Emmanwori, a rookie, try to play without any practice.
The Seahawks may feel a little more comfortable being patient with Witherspoon after the way the secondary played Sunday.
Jobe started at cornerback alongside Riq Woolen in the base defense and allowed just one reception on four targets for seven yards.
Former L.A. Ram Derion Kendrick filled in at the nickel spot, playing 42 of 62 snaps and allowed just two receptions on five targets for 13 yards and picked off a deflected pass in the end zone to stop a Steelers drive at the 4-yard-line in the third quarter.
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Macdonald said Wednesday that success illustrated that the team is showing signs of having the depth on its 53-man roster and 17-man practice squad needed to make it through a 17-game regular season.
“There’s going to be times where positions are low on guys, and we’re going to be dependent on those guys to step up and go play,” Macdonald said. “They did that last week, and that’s great, but every week we’re going to be dealing with that sort of thing, that’s the nature of our business.”
Charbonnet has been splitting carries and snaps with Kenneth Walker III.
Second-year player George Holani is the only other running back on the 53-man roster and he has yet to play an offensive snap this year though he has played significantly on special teams, scoring a touchdown on a botched kickoff by the Steelers in the fourth quarter Sunday and also returned five kickoffs.
The Seahawks have two rookie running backs on the 17-man practice squad who could be elevated for depth on gameday if needed in seventh-round pick Damien Martinez and undrafted free agent Jarcadia Wright.
Seahawks swap roster spots for White, Griffin
The Seahawks made one roster move Wednesday, signing receiver Cody White off the practice squad to the 53-man roster and releasing cornerback Shaquill Griffin, and re-signing Griffin to the practice squad.
The Seahawks made the opposite move last week when they needed Griffin to assure they had enough cornerback depth. They can still elevate Griffin off the practice squad two more times before he would have to go on the 53-man roster permanently.
White’s signing could be related to Horton’s injury status with the team likely deciding that White will be active on gameday to fill in depth at receiver and on special teams. Horton handled punt returns Sunday at Pittsburgh, but White was a regular punt returner during training camp and had two returns for 46 yards in the preseason.
Nwosu continuing to work his way back
If Hall’s injury limits him in any way it could mean more snaps Sunday for Uchenna Nwosu. Nwosu, who had knee surgery following the 2024 season, sat out the preseason and the first game against the 49ers before finally getting on the field against the Steelers, playing 16 snaps and making two tackles.
“It’s just great to have him back,” Macdonald said. “It’s not easy to just step in your first NFL experience and go and play a game but it’s a great first step. It’s a great foundation, I think he gained confidence. We’re in a position now where I think you can see some sort of increase to some sort of degree over the X amount of time. We’re not going to just stick at that play level as long as he’s feeling well. It also lets us have a little bit more rotation at the edge position. It’s a good for him, good for everybody type of thing.”
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.