Veteran edge-rushing linebacker Uchenna Nwosu on a Seattle Seahawks side field working for the first time since surgery, at practice Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. By Gregg Bell/The News Tribune
Uchenna Nwosu, back playing?
For the first time this year, the Seahawks and their veteran pass-rushing linebacker can see a path toward that happening.
And perhaps early this season.
Nwosu, 28, passed a physical examination Sunday, for the first time since he had surgery this offseason on his knee.
Later Sunday morning he was on a side field working with assistants on pushing off his legs into blocking pads. He also jogged at then form-tackled a big exercise ball.
It’s the first step before the Seahawks perhaps activate him from the physically-unable-to-perform list he’s been on since the start of training camp July 23. He has to officially comes off the PUP list to before he can practice for the first time this preseason.
“It’s exciting,” coach Mike Macdonald said, “because to my knowledge, we’re ahead of schedule, which is cool.
“I know Uchenna has been working his tail off, which is par for the course for him. Our training staff had a great plan. Guy has done a great job.
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) reacts to a stop on third down against the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter of the game at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Seattle, Wash. Brian Hayes bhayes@thenewstribune.com
“He’s going to be back with us,” Macdonald said. “We have a plan to ramp him up here over the course of the rest of training camp, going into the first game, and gives us the option to possibly get out there early in the season.”
How early? Could Nwosu go from not practicing the first 20 practices of the preseason to play Sept. 7 in the season opener against San Francisco at Lumen Field?
“It’s probably too early to come to any conclusions, but we have a preliminary timetable that gets us around the beginning of the season,” Macdonald said. “There are some checkpoints we have to hit along the way.
“The first thing is to do an individual position-drills practice), going through walk through, staying sharp mentally. He’ll be ready on all that.
“But we have to get through that first.”
Uchenna Nwosu (7) watches teammates on Seattle’s defense do drills in the first practice of NFL training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton July 23, 2025. Nwosu is on the physically-unable-to-perform list following a 2024 season filled with knee and upper-body injuries, then knee surgery in early 2025. Gregg Bell/The News Tribune
Boye Mafe and Derick Hall have been the primary outside linebackers with Nwosu out, both this preseason and the majority of last season.
DeMarcus Lawrence, a defensive end on the line for his 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before Seattle signed the 33-year-old veteran this spring, has been getting some position-drills work with Mafe and Hall as a stand-up edge rusher in training camp while Nwosu has been out.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) walks between teammates Connor O’Toole (57) and Derick Hall (58) during the sixth practice of Seattle Seahawks NFL training camp Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. Gregg Bell/The News Tribune
Nwosu missed 11 of 17 games last season with a knee injury from a preseason game in August 2024 and thigh injury he got in his delayed season debut last October.
He’s played in just 12 of a possible 34 games since he signed his $45 million extension before the 2023 season. Seattle gave Nwosu that deal after he had a career-high 9 1/2 sacks in his Seahawks debut season of 2022.
General manager John Schneider and then-coach Pete Carroll signed Nwosu as a free agent in the spring of ‘22, after his first four NFL seasons with his hometown Los Angeles Chargers.
This spring Nwosu agreed to take a $6.9 million pay cut inside a new two-year deal worth up to a maximum of $19.5 million. His salary-cap charge for 2025 dropped from $21.2 million to $11.8 million, saving Seattle $9.4 million in cap space on Nwosu for this year.
Kenneth Walker (9) full go with fellow running backs Zach Charbonnet (26) and George Holani, the standout rushers in each of the first two preseason games, on the 20th practice of the Seahawks’ preseason Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. Gregg Bell/The News Tribune