Seahawks Inactives: Two rookies sidelined vs. 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks will be without quarterback Geno Smith against the San Francisco 49ers after he suffered a groin injury on the practice field.

Veteran backup Drew Lock will start in his place.

Smith “stumbled over somebody” on Thursday, according to coach Pete Carroll, and Seattle listed him as questionable on Friday’s final injury report. He did not participate in pre-game warmups after testing his injury early on Sunday at Levis Stadium, indicating that he would not be available.

Lock will make his first start with the Seahawks, and his first start since 2021 with the Broncos, against one of the NFL’s best defenses. He completed four of 12 passes for 66 yards and an interception while filling in for Smith earlier this season against the Giants and Rams.

After being re-signed to the practice squad on Friday and receiving a game day elevation on Saturday, Sean Mannion will be active as Seattle’s backup quarterback.

If there is a silver lining for Lock, it is that he will have access to a full arsenal of backfield weapons, with Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet both active and ready to help take some of the pressure off his shoulders. Walker had missed the previous two games due to an oblique strain, and Charbonnet bruised his knee near the end of last week’s 41-35 loss to the Cowboys.

Aside from Smith, the Seahawks will be without receiver Dee Eskridge for the second game in a row due to a rib injury. In his place, second-year wideout Dareke Young will play for the second time this season after missing the previous three weeks with an abdominal injury, providing the team with additional depth behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Undrafted rookie tackles Raiqwon O’Neal and McClendon Curtis will be healthy scratches, as they have been for the majority of the season. For the second straight game, Abraham Lucas will start at right tackle opposite Charles Cross, with Stone Forsythe and Jason Peters serving as backups.

Jordyn Brooks, despite missing two practices this week due to a medial ankle sprain, will be active and start alongside Bobby Wagner on defense. Veteran Devin Bush will fill in for him if necessary, while rookie Patrick O’Connell will not play despite being promoted from the practice squad on Saturday.

Up front, veteran outside linebacker Frank Clark did not travel to Santa Clara for non-injury reasons and will be out for the second time in three weeks. In his absence, the Seahawks will likely rotate Dre’Mont Jones off the edge with Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor, and Derick Hall, while defensive end Myles Adams will help pick up some slack on the interior of the line.