NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 23: Head Coach Mike MacDonald of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during the second half of Week 2 of the preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks‘ secondary took a hit when second-round rookie safety Bud Clark broke his ankle on the very first snap of Saturday’s preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans.
After missing practice on Monday and waiting for the verdict over the weekend, the Seahawks shared what was the worst-case scenario: Clark will miss the entire 2026 season as he was moved to season-ending IR by the team on Tuesday afternoon.
Offensive lineman Mason Richman was also given the same designation, and will also be sidelined for the entirety of the season.
The Seahawks announced they’ve placed S Bud Clark and OL Mason Richman on injured reserve. That means their seasons are over.
Clark, a rookie second-round pick, broke his ankle in Seattle’s preseason game vs. the Titans Sunday. Richman suffered a right leg injury in that game.
“The Seahawks announced they’ve placed S Bud Clark and OL Mason Richman on injured reserve. That means their seasons are over.” Brady Henderson of ESPN reported on Tuesday. “Clark, a rookie second-round pick, broke his ankle in Seattle’s preseason game vs. the Titans Sunday. Richman suffered a right leg injury in that game.”
How Will the Seahawks Re-Adjust Without Bud Clark?
Although Clark was not listed as a starter at safety; those roles were currently donned to Ty Okada and Julian Love; he was expected to play a reasonably heavy role in the secondary rotation.
Especially in light of the fact that starting nickel and do-everything DB Nick Emmanwori is still on his way to returning to full practice after having had ankle surgery this past July from an injury sustained mere days prior to Super Bowl LX.
Whilst Seattle’s safety group with no Clark and – for the moment – no Emmanwori runs fairly thin behind the starting duo of Love and Okada, luckily for Seattle their depth at corner has appreciated substantially over the past few weeks.
In Clark’s place the team will turn to D’Anthony Bell and A.J. Finley as the next two men up, as well as former Colts starter Rodney Thomas II, who signed a one-year deal with Seattle this past offseason.
The Seahawks also have Maxen Hook and Tysheem Johnson at the position group as options further down the training camp roster.
Between the current starting safeties and the hopefully imminent return of Emmanwori, this should not have too drastic an effect on the reigning champions’ defense, but it is certainly not the way Mike McDonald would have wanted to kick off the career of second round rookie draft pick in 2026.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
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Seahawks Rookie Gets Devastating News After Suffering Ankle Injury in Preseason
The Seattle Seahawks‘ secondary took a hit when second-round rookie safety Bud Clark broke his ankle on the very first snap of Saturday’s preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans.After missing practice on Monday and waiting for the verdict over the weekend, the Seahawks shared what was the worst-case scenario: Clark will miss the entire 2026 […]
Seahawks Rookie Gets Devastating News After Suffering Ankle Injury in Preseason