RENTON, Wash. — The Seahawks may have to try Sunday to snap their recent home losing skid without three-fifths of their projected starting secondary and half of their starting running back platoon.
The Seahawks on Friday officially listed safeties Julian Love (hamstring) and Nick Emmanwori (ankle), cornerback Devon Witherspoon (knee) and running back Zach Charbonnet (foot/toe) as doubtful for Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. game against the New Orleans Saints at Lumen Field.
Seattle enters the game hoping to snap a 1-7 drought at home dating to last September, the only win coming against Arizona 16-6 last Nov. 24.
The good news is everyone else on the 53-man roster is good to go.
And in what could be perceived as giving a slight hope they may be able to play Sunday, Love, Witherspoon and Emmanwori were also listed as limited in Friday’s practice.
However, coach Mike Macdonald reiterated all the players are doubtful, which means officially they have a 25% chance of playing.
“I think that’s a pretty accurate description,’’ Macdonald said of the doubtful designations.
Noting that he had expressed hope earlier in the week of Witherspoon and Emmanwori returning after sitting out last Sunday’s win at Pittsburgh, Macdonald said “we were optimistic at the beginning of the week and now we’re doubtful.’’
Love and Charbonnet, meanwhile, are each dealing with injuries suffered against the Steelers.
If Love is out, then the Seahawks may turn to third-year player Ty Okada to fill in as a starter while again elevating D’Anthony Bell off the practice to play in three-safety roles.
“You can expect to see Ty in a larger role,’’ Macdonald said.
Okada, who initially joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of Montana State in 2023, has played in 11 games but mostly on special teams. He has 48 defensive snaps, 15 coming this season, including nine against the Steelers, mostly as a deep safety.
Bell played 12 snaps against the Steelers and officially was a starter. He was signed as a free agent in the spring with the thought he could fill a “big safety’’ role after starting seven games for the Browns from 2021-23.
“D’Anthony will have a bigger role as well,’’ Macdonald said. “How we do it, we’ll figure out on Sunday. Those guys (Bell and Okada) are doing a great job, practicing hard, and know what to do. Let’s rock and roll.”
If Witherspoon can’t go, then the Seahawks figure to again go with the cornerback alignment of last week with Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen as the starters and Derion Kendrick as the nickel. Seattle could also again elevate or sign Shaquill Griffin off the practice squad as depth.
Evidence that the Seahawks will make roster moves of some sort Saturday came after practice Friday when the Seahawks released Cody White and then re-signed him to the practice squad.
That left an opening on the 53-man roster and means the Seahawks can sign a player off the practice squad to fill it while elevating two others for the gameday roster Sunday, adding three overall to the active roster against the Saints.
As for running back, if Charbonnet can’t play then the Seahawks will move George Holani up to a backup spot behind Kenneth Walker III.
“If Zach doesn’t play, George is the next back,’’ Macdonald said. “Every time we’ve given George an opportunity, he’s done a tremendous job. We expect the same thing.”
Holani has played substantially on special teams since making the roster a year ago as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State but has just three carries for 10 yards, all last season against the Packers.
Interestingly, the Seahawks later Friday released rookie seventh-round pick Damien Martinez of Miami and Oregon State off the practice to make room for White, leaving undrafted rookie free agent Jacardia Wright of Missouri State as the only other running back on the roster.
That means if Seattle decides it needs a third RB for Sunday and Charbonnet can’t go then Wright — who led Seattle with 147 yards on 21 carries in the preseason — will be elevated or signed off the practice squad.
The Seahawks have to make roster decisions this week knowing they have the quickest possible turnaround for next week, playing at Arizona on Thursday night.
Macdonald, though, insisted the Seahawks are mostly taking it one game at a time while acknowledging that the team has to at least think about long-term ramifications, noting if Seattle had a bye next week decisions might be different.
“It does (factor into decisions),’’ Macdonald said of playing again Thursday. “If you were going into a bye week, those funky timetables are definitely taken into account, but we’re trying to do everything we possibly can to win this game.”
It’s not necessarily a surprise if Emmanwori is again out as he suffered a high ankle sprain in the opener against the 49ers, an injury that often takes a few weeks from which to recover.
Witherspoon suffered an MCL contusion against the 49ers and didn’t practice last week. He worked out before the Steelers game but was not on the field this week during times when practices were open to the media.
Macdonald said Witherspoon has not had a setback but that instead the team is “just trying to get him as much rehab as possible.”
Love dealt with a groin injury last week but played every snap against the Steelers. Macdonald said the injury he has now is not related to that one and happened in the game.
Macdonald said none of Witherspoon, Love or Charbonnet will need to go on injured reserve “right now.’’
He has already said Emmanwori won’t go on IR. Going on IR requires missing at least four games.
Macdonald has bad memory of Moore
Macdonald said he has crossed paths a few times with first-year New Orleans coach Kellen Moore, a Prosser native and standout quarterback at Boise State from 2007-11 before playing in the NFL from 2012-17 and then getting into coaching.
Macdonald noted he was a graduate assistant at Georgia when Moore led Boise State to a 35-21 win over the Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A kickoff game.
“I’ve met him a few times,’’ Macdonald said. “The worst memory was when he was the quarterback at Boise in 2011, I think. First GA year. That was not good — in Atlanta, terrible uniforms.”
Notes
• The Seahawks on Friday named their game captains for Sunday — receiver Cooper Kupp, quarterback Sam Darnold, linebacker Ernest Jones IV and linebacker/special teamer Drake Thomas.
• The Saints’ backup nickel back is former Seahawk Ugo Amadi, a fourth-round pick of Seattle in 2019 who played for the Seahawks from 2019-21 and has been with the Saints since 2023. Amadi has not played on defense this season but has 32 snaps on special teams.