Seahawks rookie Bud Clark suffers broken ankle against Titans
The Spokesman-Review · Bob Condotta · 2026-08-24T01:17:29+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Seahawks rookie Bud Clark suffers broken ankle against Titans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Seahawks rookie safety Bud Clark suffered a broken ankle during the 19-16 defeat against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night that will keep him out “multiple months,” coach Mike Macdonald said after the game.
Macdonald said the team is still unsure on the severity of the injury to Clark, the team’s second-round choice in the 2026 draft.
But Macdonald saying Clark will miss multiple months indicates he could miss most, if not all, of his rookie season.
Macdonald also said backup offensive lineman Mason Richman suffered a significant injury, leaving during the first quarter with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury. Richman was injured on a play on the first series, but got up and walked off under his own power.
Richman has played mostly guard in camp but also has played center and tackle, emerging as one of the team’s more versatile overall linemen and potentially to be active in a role as a backup lineman on gamedays.
Macdonald said the team is “trying to figure out what is going on” with Richman but that “we think it’s a major injury.”
Clark was injured when he came up quickly to try to make a tackle of Titans running back Tony Pollard on what was Tennessee’s first offensive play of the game.
Trainers rushed out and quickly prepared an air cast to place on Clark’s lower right leg as teammates took a knee on the sideline and then gathered around him on the field as he was placed on a cart.
The injuries were the second and third significant injuries Seattle suffered on this trip. Receiver Jake Bobo incurred a season-ending knee injury in a joint practice Friday.
“Had three heartbreakers this week, which is tough,” Macdonald said.
Clark was the 64th overall choice out of Texas Christian and was expected to compete to replace departed free agent Coby Bryant in the starting lineup.
Instead, four-year Ty Okada has appeared to hang on to the starting job.
But Clark was expected to open the season as a key member of special teams and provide depth behind Okada and Julian Love at safety and possibly play situationally as a third safety.
Clark got the start Sunday night at safety alongside A.J. Finley with Okada, Love and the rest of Seattle’s starters getting the night off.
Second-year player Maxen Hook took over for Clark on the next series playing alongside Finley with D’Anthony Bell playing in the third safety role that usually belongs to Nick Emmanwori.
But Hook, Finley and Bell then essentially rotated playing safety the rest of the game.
Bell, a five-year veteran with nine career starts — including two last season when Emmanwori was sidelined — could now become viewed as an option as the backup at deep safety as well as to Emmanwori’s third safety role if Clark is sidelined for a significant length of time.
Macdonald said he thought Finley, Bell and Hook all had good moments Sunday but he said that without Clark “we’ll have to re-evaluate” the team’s safety position.
Seattle also signed veteran free agent Rodney Thomas II, who spent the last four years with the Colts, in the spring. But he is listed on the third team, having not made much of a move up the depth chart, and did not suit up on Sunday. ESPN reported that he recently had surgery to repair a fracture in his hand but may be able to return as soon as next week.
Macdonald confirmed after the game that Thomas recently had surgery and that “we’ll see if and when he’s coming back.”
Emmanwori has yet to practice after having arthroscopic ankle surgery in July. Emmanwori came off the Physically Unable to Perform list on Aug. 11 and has conducted some light individual drills and conditioning but has not done any on-field work during team drills.
It remains unclear when Emmanwori will return, and Clark had been expected to help fill his role during his absence, though of late he had mostly been playing deep safety.
Still, if Clark is lost for any length of time and Emmanwori sidelined to begin the season, the Seahawks will have some uncertainty in the back end of their safety position.
Clark’s injury cast a pall over the game in which the Seahawks took an early 16-3 lead before the Titans came back to score 10 points in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
“It almost takes the life out of the game,’’ said second-year outside linebacker Connor O’Toole. “… just to know what he’s going to go through and the pain that he’s in, it’s bigger than football in that moment and your heart just breaks for your brother.’’
Macdonald said he was able to briefly meet up with Clark at halftime.
“Just gave him a hug,” Macdonald said.
Clark’s injury continues what has been a somewhat adverse overall start for Seattle’s 2026 rookie class.
First-round pick running back Jadarian Price missed almost two weeks of practice with what was termed lower-body soreness. He returned this week and took part in the joint practice Friday and appears fine, but was held out of the game Sunday with the team now appearing to hope to hold him out of the preseason to assure he is ready for the season opener Sept. 9 against New England.
Third-round pick cornerback Julian Neal has not practiced since the first week with an unspecified injury and Macdonald was vague when asked this week when he might return.