Uchenna Nwosu, the Seahawks’ highest-paid edge rusher, has been sidelined since October but is making strides in his recovery.
According to head coach Mike Macdonald, Nwosu is set to return to practice today, though his workload will be limited initially.
“This week is going to be pretty limited,” Macdonald said regarding Nwosu’s practice participation (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “So we won’t be seeing him this week, and then we’ll take it from there.”
Nwosu sustained a thigh injury in Week 5, his season debut, after missing Seattle’s first four games due to an MCL sprain.
While the MCL injury didn’t result in time on injured reserve, the thigh injury led to his placement on IR.
With his return to practice, the Seahawks’ 21 day window to activate him officially will begin.
Macdonald indicated Nwosu will use part of that time to ramp up before returning to game action.
When Nwosu rejoins the lineup, the Seahawks’ pass rush will gain a significant boost.
After recording a career-high 9.5 sacks in his first season with Seattle in 2022, expectations were high for the 27 year old this season.
Staying healthy for the remainder of the year would allow him to reclaim a starting edge role and help Seattle contend for the NFC West title.
In his absence, the Seahawks have leaned on Derick Hall and Boye Mafe for pass-rush production. Hall leads the team with six sacks, while Mafe is tied for second with five.
Adding Nwosu back to the rotation alongside Leonard Williams on the interior would strengthen Seattle’s defensive front.
Currently at 6-5 on the season, the Seahawks rank 17th in the league in sacks, making improvements in that area critical to their postseason hopes.
Seattle has six IR activations left, and one will be required to bring Nwosu back into action.
Doing so would allow him to contribute to the team’s success in 2024 while putting his injury struggles behind him.