The Seattle Seahawks continue to make moves ahead of the team’s season opener against the New England Patriots on Wednesday, September 9. Seattle is moving on from one of the team’s defenders who is battling an injury.
Additionally, the Seahawks provided final injury updates with one starter being ruled out while two key players are listed as questionable against the Patriots. Seattle released linebacker Aaron Smith as part of an injury settlement, per the NFL transaction wire.
This marks the second time the Seahawks have released Smith in less than two weeks. Seattle initially signed the former New York Jets linebacker on August 11, only to cut ties with the 6-foot-2, 230-pound defender on August 31.
Seattle re-signed Smith to the team’s practice squad, but the linebacker will not make it to Week 1 as part of the Seahawks.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Patriots-Seahawks game.
Patriots vs. Seahawks: Seattle Will Be Without Starter Ty Okada
Seattle is a 3-point favorite in the Super Bowl rematch against New England, per DraftKings. The Seahawks will be without one of the team’s starting safeties as Ty Okada has been ruled out.
Additionally, versatile defender Nick Emmanwori and wide receiver Tory Horton are both listed as questionable.
Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson Is Ruled Out vs. Seahawks
On the Patriots side, the franchise agreed to a late contract extension with star cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Fans who were hoping the Seahawks could face the Patriots amid a Gonzalez’ holdout will be disappointed.
The Patriots will be without second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson in the Week 1 matchup. Offensive lineman Ben Brown has also been ruled out.
The Patriots Will Be Out for Revenge vs. Seahawks After Super Bowl Loss
The Patriots will be out for revenge, but a Week 1 win will do little to replace the sting of a Super Bowl loss. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels admits to having regrets about the Super Bowl matchup.
“I didn’t do a good enough job,” McDaniels admitted ahead of the Patriots-Seahawks rematch, per Pro Football Talk. “Point it at me. They did a great job. They ‘out-everythinged’ us in the game. Start with coaching and that comes back to me. We have a lot of things we learned, but I think this will be a different game, I think it will be a new game. It’s a new year. We have some different players.
“They have a few guys that are new. We’ll see how different it is as the complexion of the game unfolds. They certainly found some opportunities last year, and hopefully we’ve done a good job trying to limit those as we go into Wednesday night.”
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