Darnold hit the practice field for the first time since he injured his glute.
All eyes are on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold as he aims to return from a glute injury that sidelined him in the win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Having lasted just five plays in Week 1, Darnold is now on the comeback trail, and the first big checkpoint has arrived - practice.
With head coach Mike Macdonald stating pre-practice that Darnold won't take every rep and that they will ramp it up as the week goes on, it will be a slow and steady approach.
Videos on social media show Darnold jogging into the practice field, before warming up and throwing the football around, while in full uniform.
So, it appears Darnold is making positive strides in his return from injury, but the real indicator will be how he recovers in practice.
Given that there is no need to rush Sam back, what is the potential timeline for when the Seahawks will know whether or not Darnold will take his place against the Washington Commanders in Week 3?
"I think we'll make a decision at some point before Friday's over," Macdonald said. "Like, I don't think we'd go into the weekend not knowing if he's going to play."
So, there we have it. ... though the coach added that the QB is "on a good track'' to play.
We will know before the weekend whether Darnold will play, and given it is a road game as well, that has to be taken into account due to the travel.
So, the Seahawks want to know as soon as possible if Darnold is healthy enough to play.
If not, it will be a second straight start for Drew Lock, and that isn't a bad thing after his performance against Arizona (19 of 26 for 235 yards, 3 TDs), as he is growing into his role as the starter.
With Washington also on its backup quarterback after Jayden Daniels' elbow injury, the Seahawks might see this as a game where they can get by again with Lock, giving Darnold extra time to heal up.
Either way, we'll know Seattle's plan by the end of Friday.
