Positive initial signs on Grey Zabel’s injury, pending rookie’s further tests
The initial signs for Grey Zabel’s knee injury point to good Seahawks news.
Their stud, rookie left guard and key blocker for quarterback Sam Darnold might have avoided a major knee injury. Zabel was hurt Sunday when a teammate fell into him late in Seattle’s 21-19 loss at the Los Angeles Rams.
Asked Monday morning on his day-after show on KIRO-AM radio if Zabel avoided a season-ending injury, Macdonald said:
“I’ll say it’s optimistic right now. So, initial news is really positive.
“But let’s get out of the fog here before I start making any declarations.”
The coach said “all we’re going off right now is the tests” at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday night. Those included manual manipulations of the knee to test the structure of the knee ligaments for Seattle’s highest-drafted interior offensive lineman since Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson in 2001.
Macdonald said Zabel was getting magnetic resonance imaging tests Monday morning for doctors to have visual assessments of his knee. They and the team will then make a determination of when Zabel might be able to play next.
“I think he’s actually getting imaging as we speak,” Macdonald told KIRO radio just before 10 a.m. Monday.
The Seahawks (7-3) play Sunday at Tennessee (1-9).
Teammate and center Olu Oluwatimi appeared to get pushed into Zabel’s legs as Kenneth Walker was crossing the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown run with just over 2 minutes left in Seattle’s loss at the Rams. The rugged rookie left guard was down multiple minutes with his facemask pressed into the turf at SoFi Stadium. Zabel needed two assistants to help him off the field to the sideline.
Eventually, they helped into the blue medical tent behind the Seahawks’ bench, then into the locker room as the game continued.
Christian Haynes replaced Zabel for the Seahawks’ final drive of the game, a frantic one from their own 1-yard line across midfield in the final minute then seconds. Darnold led the offense down the field but not far enough. Jason Myers’ 61-yard field goal that would have equaled his career high was short and wide as time expired.
Haynes, the team’s third-round draft choice in 2024, had been on injured reserve for the first nine games with a pectoral injury. The Seahawks activated him from IR Saturday to back up Zabel.
For now with Zabel’s playing status unknown, Seattle is without its starting center and left guard on the offensive line. Jalen Sundell went on injured reserve Saturday with his own knee injury.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 10:05 AM.
