The Seattle Seahawks got more tough injury news entering Week 3. All-World safety Julian Love has joined Ty Okada on the injury list. It's also an opportunity for Rodney Thomas II and AJ Finley to lead the defensive backfield.
This Seahawks team is beyond resilient. Zach Charbonnet was expected to be their lead running back this season, but obviously that was delayed by his ACL injury. Yeah, a lot has been written about the reigning Super Bowl MVP leaving the team, and rightly so. But let's not forget that Charbonnet ran for over 700 yards and scored a dozen times last year.
Oh, gee, I almost forgot about the quarterback situation. Sam Darnold - you know, the guy with back-to-back 14-3 seasons? The guy who didn't commit a single turnover in the Seahawks' postseason on their way to the title? He's only taken five snaps this year. Good thing Drew Lock is pretty good, right? Oh, and Darnold is expected to play Sunday.
Seattle weathered the loss of Ty Okada nicely, as Rodney Thomas II has played well in his stead. Yes, he missed a tackle and, far worse, committed a key penalty against the Cardinals. But he still allowed just nine yards total on two catches for a passer rating allowed of 70.1. It isn't Cooper Rush-bad, but it's bad. You think the Colts might want him back, with their 32 points per game allowed defense?
So we know the Seahawks are solid with Thomas on the field. The real question mark is AJ Finley. An undrafted free agent, Finley signed with the Chargers in 2023. As we've seen with so many Seahawks' greats, it isn't about where you start, but where you finish. Finley played in 22 games before the Los Angeles released him in one of those "let's let him go and pray" roster moves, and Seattle signed him.
Finley excelled on special teams, but was lost for the 2025 season with an ACL injury. He returned this season, but to this point, he's only taken two snaps on defense. So, what can we expect from him?
He wasn't drafted out of college due to his 4.62-second 40-yard dash time. But he did break up 13 passes, force a pair of fumbles, record 8.5 tackles for a loss, and grab eight interceptions. The man delivers.
How well will it translate into a starting role in Week 3? We'll see, won't we? In more good news, the pitch count, so to speak, is off for hybrid safety/nickel/monster Nick Emmanwori . So we can expect to see him all over the field in Week 3.
This article was originally published on www.12thmanrising.com as Seahawks defense is now in the hands of Rodney Thomas II and AJ Finley .
