The Seattle Seahawks lost more than a meaningless preseason game in Nashville.
In the span of roughly three days, Seattle lost wide receiver Jake Bobo for the season, rookie safety Bud Clark for multiple months and offensive lineman Mason Richman to what head coach Mike Macdonald fears is another major, long-term injury. After Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Macdonald put the brutal stretch into perspective.
“It’s a heartbreaker, honestly,” Macdonald said of Clark and Richman. “We’ve had three heartbreakers this week, which is tough.”
The timing only amplifies the damage. Seattle closes the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs on August 28, then must trim its roster to 53 players by August 30. The defending Super Bowl champions open the regular season against the New England Patriots on September 9.
Jake Bobo Injury Started Seahawks’ Brutal Stretch
Bobo was the first of the three.
The veteran receiver suffered a significant knee injury during Seattle’s August 21 joint practice with Tennessee and was carted from the field. The Seahawks placed him on injured reserve the next day, ending his 2026 season before it began.
The injury carried added weight because Seattle had made a commitment to Bobo only months earlier. The Seahawks matched the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offer sheet for the restricted free agent, bringing him back on a two-year, $5.5 million deal with $4.5 million guaranteed.
Bobo was never Seattle’s highest-volume receiver, but his blocking, special-teams ability and familiarity with the offense gave him a defined role. Losing him forces the Seahawks to reconsider the bottom of a receiver room that already had Tory Horton working through another injury issue.
Bud Clark, Mason Richman Go Down Against Titans
Then came Sunday night.
Richman suffered his injury on Seattle’s opening offensive possession. Macdonald said afterward that the Seahawks were still determining exactly what happened, but offered a grim initial assessment.
“We also think that’s a major injury — a long-term injury,” Macdonald said.
Seattle’s first defensive snap brought another blow.
Clark, the No. 64 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, broke his right ankle and had to be carted from the field with his leg in an air cast. Macdonald said the rookie is expected to miss “multiple months.”
The reaction illustrated why Macdonald’s “heartbreakers” description was more than coach-speak. Players from both teams gathered around Clark before he left the field, while Seahawks linebacker Connor O’Toole said an injury like that can almost drain the life from a game.
Clark had been pushing for a significant defensive role after Seattle selected him in the second round. The Seahawks entered camp with an opening at safety following Coby Bryant’s departure, and their official depth chart listed Ty Okada ahead of Clark at one safety spot. Clark’s absence now removes one of Okada’s primary challengers and reduces the flexibility Seattle expected to have in the secondary.
Richman’s loss creates a different depth problem. Seattle’s depth chart listed the second-year lineman behind Grey Zabel at left guard, making him an important reserve on an offensive line where versatility matters over a 17-game season.
Seahawks’ ‘3 Heartbreakers’ Change Roster-Cut Calculus
None of the three injuries alone changes Seattle’s championship expectations.
Collectively, they matter.
Bobo represented proven depth at receiver. Clark was a second-round investment with a chance to earn immediate defensive snaps. Richman provided offensive-line depth behind the starting five.
Now Seattle has to account for holes at all three spots just days before making its final roster decisions.
That could change who survives the cut at receiver, how many defensive backs Seattle feels compelled to keep and how much value the Seahawks place on offensive linemen capable of covering multiple positions.
The Seahawks still have one preseason game to evaluate those alternatives. They visit Kansas City on August 28 before the roster deadline arrives two days later. Then comes a far more consequential date: September 9, when Seattle begins its title defense against New England at Lumen Field.
A week that began with players competing for jobs instead became one Macdonald summarized in a far more painful way.
Three heartbreakers — at three positions — with the regular season closing fast.
Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald Laments ‘3 Heartbreakers’ Before Roster Cuts