The Seattle Seahawks are 2-0 to start the season, and that's with Sam Darnold sidelined with a hip injury he suffered in Week 1. Darnold has been working hard during his rehab, so much so that he's looking to come back sooner than his expected time, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
“Sam Darnold is working to split the difference in his rehab timeline,” Fowler wrote. “The Seahawks originally braced for roughly a four-week absence from his Sept. 9 glute injury but hoped he could beat that. Well, Darnold started to move around ‘a lot better' last week, I'm told, setting the stage for him to practice in some capacity Wednesday.
“While Week 3 isn't a slam dunk, he appears to be on the positive end of things. But anyone I asked about Darnold brought up, unprompted, the development of Drew Lock, and that was before his clean performance in Arizona (16-of-26, 235 yards, three touchdowns).”
That's good news for the Seahawks, and though he may not play this week, it feels like the chances could be even higher next week. At the same time, if the Seahawks are winning with Lock at quarterback, there's no reason to rush him back to the field. They probably want him at 100%, which makes perfect sense since the season is still very fresh.
Meanwhile, Lock can continue to do what he needs to lead the team to wins, and the organization believes in him.
“He's smart, experienced, has been in the system multiple years and has the savvy and talent of a first-round pick,” a team source said.
“He can handle all the moving parts pre-snap, good confidence, prepares like a starter, throws a pretty deep ball,” another team source said.
If Lock keeps playing as he did last week, Darnold can take as much time as he needs.