Good Seahawks day: Sam Darnold back closer to normal, Charles Cross full go
Sam Darnold walked out into the bright, chilly, Pacific Northwest sun. He joked with reporters.
He jogged onto the practice field. Then the Pro Bowl quarterback did what he hadn’t done since he injured his oblique eight days earlier.
He went straight into throwing.
Darnold threw passes for a few minutes before practice began to wide receiver Cooper Kupp, as he had all season until last week. That is, until last Thursday when he felt pain in his left, non-throwing side throwing passes like that.
This time, no problem. Darnold then jogged to the other end of the field and joined his teammates to stretch and warmup for practice. He played around with Drrew Lock, his veteran backup QB, with the daily pantomiming ritual they have.
Friday was as normal as Darnold has looked and thrown since his injury, two days before his Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game at Lumen Field (Sunday, 3:30 p.m., FOX television, channel 13 locally). The Seahawks listed Darnold as a limited participant in the practices Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. By NFL injury-reporting rules that means he missed at least one portion of his normal daily workload on the field.
But Darnold was not on the official game injury report the Seahawks issued Friday. He is full go to start Sunday.
“He’s going to play,” coach Mike Macdonald said following practice Friday.
“I feel really good for Sunday,” Darnold said after his coach spoke.
In doubly good news for the 15-3 Seahawks, the conference’s top seed, the NFC West champions also had left tackle Charles Cross warming up 30 yards or so down from where Darnold looked back to normal.
Cross was a full participant in practice Friday. He is also not on the game injury report. He is starting at left tackle Sunday. Cross missed the practices Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury he got last weekend in Seattle’s blowout of San Francisco in the divisional playoffs.
Cross’ backups Josh Jones plus rookie third-stringer Amari Kight missed practices Wednesday and Thursday because of injuries. Kight missed again Friday.
Jones was back practicing Friday, on a limited basis. The team lists him as questionable to play Sunday.
Kight is doubtful.
Sam Darnold improves
Darnold is starting Sunday, as he did last weekend against the 49ers two days after he first felt discomfort in his oblique. He completed only 12 of 17 passes. The Seahawks didn’t need him to throw more. They took the lead on Rashid Shaheed’s touchdown on the opening kickoff, then used 175 yards rushing and a dominant defense to smash the 49ers 41-6.
Darnold almost assuredly going to have to throw more than 17 passes and complete more than 12 against the healthier, better Rams (14-5).
And he appears healthier this week compared to last to do that.
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said following Darnold doing some throwing and running some plays with the starting offense in practice Thursday he could tell Darnold is feeling better.
“It shows up when he goes out there and the reps that he gets, he looks like Sam,” Kubiak said. “He looks healthy to me.”
Darnold said Wednesday it was important to him to get those plays in practice this week. He vows to “let it rip” in the title game Sunday.
“I think I’ve been saying it all year: I’m going to turn it loose,” Darnold said. “If it’s there and we get the coverage for the right play and I feel like it’s there, I’m going to let it rip.
“Just being smart with the football is always at a premium. I got to take care of the football at the end of the day, that’s where my mind is at.
“(But) if we get the right coverage and the right play and I feel like a guy is open, I’m going to let it rip.”
George Holani, Elijah Arroyo back
The Seahawks added running back George Holani and rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo back to the active roster from injured reserve. Both will play Sunday in the title game.
They took the roster spots opened when the team put Zach Charbonnet and rookie backup offensive lineman Bryce Cabledue on injured reserve with knee injuries.
Holani will be the second running back Sunday behind Kenneth Walker. Charbonnet was that until he got hurt in the first half of the 49ers game last weekend.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 1:05 PM.
