Uchenna Nwosu could miss all Seahawks preseason. Two other veterans miss camp start
Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks defense are moving on — for now without Uchenna Nwosu.
Again.
Seattle’s leading sack man three seasons ago has barely played since. Wednesday he was watching teammates go through defensive drills in the first practice of training camp. After practice ended, he signed autographs for fans just outside the team facility.
He was one of the only players not sweating.
Nwosu is on the physically-unable-to-perform list to begin camp. He had knee surgery in the offseason.
The veteran outside linebacker may be on an injured list to end camp next month, too.
“You know, we’ll see. We’ll see. We’re going into the season, probably, throughout the rest of camp, and then we’ll go from there,” coach Mike Macdonald said.
“I mean, I think...we’ll just hold onto the timeline right now. But we’re not necessarily close, right now” to getting him back.
Nwosu turns 29 this winter. He had 9 1/2 sacks for former coach Pete Carroll’s Seahawks in 2022. Seattle then signed him to a three-year, $45 million contract with $32 million guaranteed.
He’s played in just 12 of a possible 35 games the last two seasons.
He tore his pectoral while playing only six games in 2023.
In 2024, he renegotiated his contract to give the Seahawks some saving against the salary cap. Then he injured the medial collateral ligament in his knee getting cut-blocked by Cleveland’s Wyatt Teller in Seattle’s final preseason game 11 months ago. Nwosu missed the first month of last season.
In his season debut against the New York Giants in early October 2024, Nwosu injured his thigh. He played in only six games again last season.
This spring, he faced the possibility of getting cut entering the final year of his contract, by a coach who didn’t draft him and has yet to see him available to play consistently. Nwosu avoided that by agreeing to take a $6.9 million pay cut for 2025. He signed a new, two-year deal worth a maximum of $19.5 million. His salary-cap charge for this year dropped from $21.2 million to $11.8 million.
The Seahawks are starting Derick Hall and Boye Mafe at outside linebacker while Nwosu is out. DeMarcus Lawrence, the 33-year-old veteran Seattle signed this spring after his first 11 NFL seasons as a defensive end for Dallas, has been working with Hall and Mafe on pass-rush drills standing up as an outside linebacker.
Macdonald and general manager John Schneider appear willing to be patient waiting for Nwosu to return. Releasing him would be a prohibitive salary-cap hit of $20 million for this year, per overthecap.com. That’s because of the new money next year on his new deal.
Johnathan Hankins out
Johnathan Hankins, the 33-year-old nose tackle entering his 13th NFL season and second for Seattle, is not practicing to begin training camp. He’s on the non-football injury list.
“He’s working through it with his back right now. Long term, we think he’s going to be fine,” Macdonald said.
“Hank’s a vet, 12-year guy. We’re taking our time with it.”
Jarran Reed and Byron Murphy have been the starting defensive and nose tackles inside on the defensive line during offseason practices and to begin training camp. Brandon Pili, a 26-year-old signed off waivers from Miami last year, has been a backup nose tackle.
Shaquill Griffin back, but not all the way yet
The Seahawks signed back veteran cornerback and 2017 draft choice Shaquill Griffin this month for depth at cornerback.
But Wednesday he was in flat shoes, watching his teammates practice instead of participating in the start of camp.
Macdonald said Griffin, 30, was sick Tuesday night when he reported with other Seahawks veterans. The team held him out Wednesday as what the coach called a precaution.
Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen again were the starting cornerbacks to begin training camp. When the first defense went to nickel with five defensive backs, Witherpsoon went inside to slot corner and Josh Jobe was outside opposite Woolen.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Uchenna Nwosu could miss all Seahawks preseason. Two other veterans miss camp start."
