RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is "striving" to start against the Washington Commanders on Sunday at Northwest Stadium, he said before practicing in full on Thursday.
"I'm taking it day by day," Darnold said in his first media availability since injuring his glute in the Seahawks' season-opening win over the New England Patriots. "Also, don't want to jinx anything."
Darnold, 29, sustained the injury five snaps into the 13-10 victory on Sept. 9. He was initially ruled out with what a team spokesperson described as a "very unique, soft-tissue injury" to the hip.
Darnold was a limited participant Wednesday in practice, marking his first return to the field in two weeks. Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said Darnold has looked "great." Darnold said he felt a little sore after Wednesday's session but otherwise had a clean bill of health.
Before Wednesday's practice, coach Mike Macdonald said the Seahawks would decide by the end of Friday whether Darnold or backup Drew Lock will start.
Macdonald said that neither Lock's solid play nor Seattle's stingy defense will factor into the decision over Darnold's availability. The Seahawks have scored 44 points, 17th-most in the NFL, with Darnold on the sidelines. Seattle's defense has yielded only 17 points through two games.
"If it was something where he was at risk of getting worse over the normal risk you take by taking the field, that might be part of the conversation," Macdonald said. "It's a function at this point of, 'Does he feel good enough to play.'"
Darnold said he was "happy" to meet with reporters before practice Thursday, given the nature of his injury and how severe it could have been. The ninth-year pro feared his glute injury was career-threatening while he awaited test results at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Darnold was quickly assured, though, that the injury wasn't believed to be serious.
"It was after I got the CT scan, and you can take a better look at the anatomy of the hip bone," Darnold said. "That was when the doctor brought the good news to me."
Darnold, who was never a candidate to land on injured reserve, which would have required him to miss at least four games, has recovered quicker than initially expected. Following Seattle's 31-7 win over the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday, Macdonald said Darnold's recovery timeline had "shifted quite drastically" for the better in the 10 days since the injury.
During portions of practice open to the media, Darnold did plenty of resistance band work to address his hip as part of the rehabilitation process. Darnold said the glute injury is not related to his oblique injury from last season's playoff run.
"When you have an injury to your hip, or anywhere, all the muscles around that area tighten up a little bit," Darnold said. "Continuing to keep it loose and strong, making sure that I'm good coming back."
Darnold is coming off a second straight Pro Bowl season, one in which he led the Seahawks to the franchise's second Super Bowl title. In 2025, Darnold completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.
Lock has performed well in Darnold's absence, guiding Seattle to a 2-0 start, including a come-from-behind, opening-night win over the Patriots. Lock has completed 35 of 48 passes (72.9 percent) for 422 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
"None of us in this building are surprised by what happened," Darnold said of Lock. "He's a baller. Went out there and played really well. Yeah, just very happy for him."
Darnold admitted that it was difficult watching Seattle defeat New England from the hospital on his phone. The injury hasn't been easy for the 2018 No. 3 pick, who has spent time with five NFL franchises and finally found a home with the Seahawks.
As much as Darnold has missed playing, he is grateful that rather than being out for the year, he has only been sidelined for a couple of weeks. A return as soon as Sunday would be a welcome development for Darnold, whose final hurdle to overcome before feeling ready to play will be a mental one.
"Being able to go out there, and if I need to take off, feeling good about sliding," Darnold said. "And, just doing all the football things. Worrying about playing football; not worrying about the hip at all. Just going out there, playing football, playing fast."
Notes: Safety Julian Love did not practice Thursday because of a calf injury. The Seahawks placed injured right guard Anthony Bradford on injured reserve Wednesday. With Bradford out for Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals, third-year pro Christian Haynes and rookie Beau Stephens rotated at right guard. Safety Ty Okada (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. He has not appeared in a game for Seattle this season.
Safety Rodney Thomas II was signed to the 53-man roster Wednesday and is expected to start again in Okada's place. Running back Jadarian Price (chest) was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He was injured against the Cardinals and has 23 carries for 104 yards this season.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
