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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 25: Tyrice Knight #48 of the Seattle Seahawks during the NFL 2025 game at State Farm Stadium on September 25, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 23-20. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Linebackers Ernest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight are on track to return for the Seattle Seahawks this week, head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday.
Jones and Knight both missed Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans. Jones continues to nurse a knee injury sustained earlier this month, while Knight was sidelined with a concussion.
"It looks like Tyrice is on track to practice on Wednesday," Macdonald said. "With EJ's normal rep load throughout the week, we will take care of him a little bit on Wednesday, so we'll take that as it goes, but I know he’s itching to play. We'll see how the knee feels throughout the week."
Jones typically gets a limited workload early in the week even without the knee being an issue and that wouldn't be a surprise this week.
Drake Thomas and Patrick O'Connell handled the linebacker roles with Knight and Jones out of the lineup on Sunday. Thomas has assumed the starting spot alongside Jones when healthy, but O'Connell saw his first NFL start in the 30-24 victory in Tennessee.
"I'm happy for Pat," Macdonald said. "We’ve talked about how he’s prepared and all the work that he's put in, but I thought he played a really good game.
"There’s one play that he jumped on the first drive. I think making a mistake that early probably helped him calm his nerves a little bit. It’s the costs of doing business on that play, but I thought he was poised, played physically, played square, and executed really well. It just felt like we could call our whole defense with him out there and be able to execute at a high level, so a tribute to him for being ready to go."
Thomas led Seattle with 10 tackles on Sunday, while O'Connell had eight.
While Jones and Knight could be returning to action, Seattle had a trio of players leave Sunday's game with injuries: safety Ty Okada (oblique), linebacker Chazz Surratt (ankle), and running back George Holani (hamstring).
"They're banged up," Macdonald said. They’ve got their respective injuries. I would say that IR is part of the equation with those guys, something we have to decide."
Seattle is running out of injured reserve spots for players that could return to the lineup. Fullback Robbie Ouzts has already been activated from the list, and the Seahawks have only eight players in total that can return from injured reserve for the season.
Safety Julian Love (hamstring) and tight end Eric Saubert (calf) are eligible to return this week. Nose tackle Jarran Reed (wrist) and wide receiver Dareke Young (quadriceps) are eligible next week, center Jalen Sundell (knee) can return in Week 15, and wide receiver Tory Horton (shin) is eligible in Week 16.
If all six players come back from the injured list, they'd have only one more player eligible to return during the regular season, which means that if Okada, Surratt and Holani go on injured reserve, not every player can return this season.
"It's really going to be a function of how some of these tests come back and how they progress throughout the rest of the week," Macdonald said. "We'll see what their availability is for this Sunday, but they probably have to turn a corner to be available this week."
Macdonald wouldn't commit to Love or Saubert being able to return to practice this week on Monday. However, he expressed some optimism after the win in Tennessee.
"We've got to take it day-by-day," Macdonald said. "We're hopeful, but part of the reason of putting him on IR and taking this time is to ensure when he comes back that he's ready to go, and he can go rip it the way that he plays, and we're not asking second questions. We want to make sure he's ready to go."
Okada has been really good in place of Love at free safety, starting eight games this season for Seattle. Okada has 47 tackles with 1.5 sacks and an interception in his first extended playing opportunity.
D'Anthony Bell finished the game at free safety for Seattle on Sunday. With Jerrick Reed II being claimed off waivers by the Titans earlier this month, the only remaining safety on the practice squad is undrafted rookie Maxen Hook, who wasn't with the team in training camp.
If Love can't return this week, Bell appears to be the next option for Seattle.
With Holani injured, Velus Jones Jr. is the only reserve running back on the practice squad. Myles Gaskin lives locally in Lynnwood and has been a frequent addition to the practice squad as well at times this season and could be brought back this week as added depth too.
Jamie Sheriff was elevated from the practice squad for linebacker depth behind Thomas and O'Connell on Sunday. If Surratt is placed on injured reserve, Sheriff could be elevated again to help with Surratt's special teams roles.
While Love could really be needed this week, Seattle doesn't need to rush Saubert's return. Nick Kallerup and Brady Russell remain on the roster as extra tight end depth behind A.J. Barner and Elijah Arroyo.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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