Seahawks rule out Woolen, Nwosu, Murphy vs. Niners

RENTON, Wash. – The Seattle Seahawks will be without at least three key defenders on Thursday night after missing Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen, outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II for their NFC West showdown against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen had to field.

Another defensive starter, Pro Bowl safety Julian Love, is listed as questionable.

Coach Mike Macdonald said earlier in the week that Nwosu (hamstring) would not play and that Murphy (hamstring) would also likely be out, but Woolen's status was less clear due to the ankle injury that kept him out of Seattle's loss on Sunday New York Giants.

“We’ll see next week, but right now he’s looking good,” Macdonald said Wednesday. “He's making good progress. He’s just not ready for this game.”

Tre Brown, who struggled against the Giants, is Seattle's third cornerback behind Woolen and fellow Pro Bowl star Devon Witherspoon. The team also has veteran Artie Burns on its practice squad and rookie Nehemiah Pritchett on its 53-man roster.

Macdonald confirmed that Nwosu was placed on injured reserve and indicated that he was expected to be sidelined for longer than the four-game minimum. Nwosu missed the final 11 games of last season with a torn pectoral muscle and the first four games of this season with an MCL sprain. He debuted against the Giants in 2024 but went down again on his 20th snap.

“We think there’s a really good chance of getting him back by the end of the season,” Macdonald said. “We’re with him right now. He needs our support. The guy has been through a tough time. We lean on each other as a team and he's a leader on our defense and our football team, but he has a chance to come back healthy and fresh to finish the season.”

The Seahawks are expected to have their other two top fullbacks available on Thursday. Boye Mafe (knee) and Derick Hall (foot) are questionable but Macdonald said he is confident they will play. Mafe sat out the last two games and Hall, who leads Seattle with 5.0 sacks, went down late against the Giants.

Macdonald said Love (hamstring injury) would likely be a mid-game decision.

Including the playoffs, the Seahawks have lost five straight times to San Francisco since the start of the 2022 season. The 49ers have outscored them 148-72 in that span.