Geno Smith is dealing with a groin ailment that should keep him out of action for around two weeks. The Seahawks quarterback wants to play despite the injury, but sources told ESPN on Saturday that a decision about his availability for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers is anticipated to be made during pregame warmups.
Drew Lock will take over as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback in the event that Smith is unable to play. According to ESPN sources, Smith is officially labeled as doubtful for the game, and there are no assurances that he will feel good enough to take part in pregame warmups.
Smith will also get an additional day to get ready for the Seahawks’ next “Monday Night Football” game against the Philadelphia Eagles on December 18 if he cancels Sunday’s game.
Smith is determined to play through the injury despite his tough character, but there are doubts about his capacity to do so, a source said. During practice on Thursday, Smith “tweaked his groin a little bit” after tripping over someone, according to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who made this comment on Friday. Carroll answered the question of whether Smith will likely play on Sunday with a circumspect “we’ll see.”
The Seahawks acknowledged the genuine prospect of missing Smith on Sunday as they landed in San Francisco on Saturday night, expressing cautious and apprehensive thoughts. This season, Smith has also struggled with triceps and knee problems. On Thursday, he was restricted in practice and did not play on Friday. Carroll said it would be important to decide whether to let Smith train on Sunday before the game.
Following Smith’s groin injury on Thursday, it was revealed that he was still in the process of healing from a triceps contusion suffered during the game against the Rams on November 19. Smith acknowledged progress in his recovery but mentioned before practice that his arm was far from reaching the 100% mark.
The Seahawks took precautions, knowing that Smith would be out of the lineup for the next away game in San Francisco. In order to add more depth at the quarterback position, quarterback Sean Mannion was added to the practice squad on Friday and formally added to the roster on Saturday. In 2021, Mannion participated in team training after having been a member of the Seahawks’ practice squad the previous season.
Lock has only played 25 plays this season after being acquired by the Seahawks in March 2022 from the Broncos in exchange for Russell Wilson. After Smith was awarded the starting role in the summer of last year, he did not play in the regular season. Taking over for the injured Smith in his two brief appearances this season, Lock completed 4-of-12 passes for 66 yards and threw an interception.
