The Seahawks will play Thursday night at Denver without starting linebacker Drake Thomas. ESPN reported that running back Zach Charbonnet is also out. Field Gulls' Jack Freeman wrote that head coach Mike Macdonald ruled out Thomas, Charbonnet and linebacker Chazz Surratt on Wednesday. That third name appears only in Field Gulls' summary. The ESPN and Yahoo Sports items we have mention only Thomas and Charbonnet. Yahoo Sports also listed six Seahawks players on the Week 6 injury report. Its summary of the Thomas story points to backup Tyrice Knight as the likely replacement. None of the feed summaries we have gives an injury designation for any of the three players.
Thomas's absence takes away the most productive tackler on the defense. He has 35 tackles in five games this season, 20 of them solo, along with a sack, a forced fumble, an interception and 3.5 tackles for loss. He had a tackle in every game, including 9 against New England in Week 1 and 9 at Washington on Sept. 27. His last game was five tackles against San Francisco on Sunday. He also had a 16-tackle, one-sack stretch across two games in a separate ESPN category, but the 35 is the season total.
Knight is the backup Yahoo named, and the contrast in numbers is large. He has played in all five games but has only 2 tackles, one solo and one assisted. Surratt has 3 tackles in three games. Since Surratt is also out, Seattle is thin at the position behind Thomas. Field Gulls described it as "the curse of the short week."
Charbonnet's absence matters on offense. Our 2026 tables hold no rushing line for him this season. Last year he ran 184 times for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 games. He also caught 20 passes for 144 yards. Reporting here doesn't say who will take his carries.
Seattle is 3-2 and second in the NFC West, on a one-game losing streak after a 32-29 loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Before that it beat the Chargers 30-23 and lost 33-31 at Washington. The Seahawks have allowed 29 or more points in all three of those games. Denver is also 3-2, third in the AFC West. It beat the Chargers 23-17 on Sunday, after a 24-14 loss at San Francisco.
Thu, Oct 15, 8:15 PM ET
The game is Thursday, Oct. 15, in Denver. Seattle plays it without three players, including its leading tackler. Whether Knight takes over Thomas's snaps is unconfirmed. Yahoo only suggested he could.
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