Getty Seahawks QB Sean Mannion
The Seattle Seahawks may face a worst-case scenario on Sunday, Dec. 10 if the latest Geno Smith injury update is as big a problem as it seems. And as insurance for Smith not being able to go in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks signed veteran quarterback Sean Mannion to the practice squad on the Friday before this huge NFC West showdown.
Geno Smith on the Injury Report
All Seahawks fans know that starting quarterback Geno Smith is suffering from an elbow injury he suffered late in the team’s Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. However, ahead of the Week 14 matchup against the 49ers, Smith popped up on the injury report with a groin injury.
While the extent of Smith’s groin issue is unknown as of Friday afternoon, it is a big enough concern that the Seahawks signed 31-year-old veteran quarterback Sean Mannion to the practice squad, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on X/Twitter.
Rapoport then explained the situation on his show, The Insiders, on Friday.
“Geno Smith — their starting quarterback all season — popped up on the injury report yesterday. Was limited with a groin [injury]. Can’t really tell what that means. How is a player going to respond? All of that, “Rapoport said of the Seahawk’s QB situation. “They just signed Sean Mannion to the practice squad, which at least means there’s some concern about Geno Smith’s availability.”
If Smith can’t answer the bell in Week 14, it would be a massive blow to the Seahawks.
The Seahawks QB Situation if Smith is Out
If Geno Smith has to do the unthinkable and sit out the Seahawks’ huge Week 14 matchup with the 49ers, the starting QB duty will fall to Drew Lock.
Lock, who came to the Seahawks from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade, didn’t play at all in his first season in Seattle and has just two appearances with no starts this season. His current 2023 stat line is 4-of-12 for 66 yards with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.
When Lock came into the Rams game after Smith’s triceps injury, he was not good, to put it mildly. He was 2-of-6 for 3 yards with that interception. He was so bad, in fact, that Pete Carroll opted to have Smith take the wrap off his arm and go back in the game for the final drive.
If Lock does start, Mannion will be elevated off the practice squad and become the primary backup for the game. This will be Mannion’s ninth NFL season, although he hasn’t appeared in a game or on an active 53-man roster since 2021. Since then, he’s bounced between the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings practice squads.
For his NFL career, Mannion has 14 career appearances, three starts, 573 passing yards, a 60.0 percent completion rate, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions.
So, to sum up, if Smith can’t go in Week 14 against the 49ers, the Seahawks are in trouble. Say what you want about Smith and some of his shortcomings as a quarterback, but there is no argument that he doesn’t give the team the best chance to win week-to-week.
Also, Smith is coming off one of (if not) the best games of his 2023 campaign. In the Seahawk’s Week 13 41-35 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Smith was 23-of-41 for 334 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT.