Whew!
You can just about hear the reaction of relief coming out of Seattle Seahawks headquarters.
The Seahawks do not see Geno Smith’s banged-up knee and hip as a significant issue and they don’t expect him to miss any real time beyond perhaps another practice or two, a league source told The News Tribune Friday.
That is after imaging tests Thursday night showed no significant injury, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday morning.
Smith had a defensive teammate run into him and knock him to the turf at the end of a play during 11-on-11 scrimmaging at training camp Tuesday. It happened when quarterbacks were off-limits from contact, as always. Smith got up favoring his leg a bit, but he finished practice.
“Yeah, he got banged up a little bit on Tuesday,” coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday.
Smith missed the team’s light practice in T-shirts without helmets Wednesday. Macdonald said that light of a practice this early in training camp was “injury-prevention driven.”
Sam Howell was the quarterback with the first-team offense again on Thursday.
Macdonald didn’t specify following practice Thursday what Smith was getting imaged that night.
A league source had told The News Tribune Wednesday Smith was getting his knee and hip “worked on” and that’s why he missed practice the first day.
“He’s working through a couple things from (Tuesday). Going to get some imaging (Thursday) night. And, we’ll see,” Macdonald said Thursday after the eighth practice of camp, the second consecutive practice Smith missed.
Smith came onto the field about 20 minutes after practice began Thursday. He was wearing his practice jersey over sweats with a team cap instead of a helmet. He talked for a few minutes with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb during special-teams drills.
Smith then went back into the team facility as practice continued with Howell, the Washington Commanders’ starter last season, leading the starting offense.
Asked if he expected the 33-year-old Smith to practice Friday, Macdonald said: “I don’t know about (Friday). But we’ll see what comes out of when he goes and sees the doc.”
What came out that was positive.
The Seahawks’ season begins in one month plus one week, Sept. 8 against Denver at Lumen Field.
Smith has made the NFC Pro Bowl team in each of his two seasons taking over as Seattle’s starter after the team traded Russell Wilson to Denver prior to the 2022 season. He’s gone 17-15 in the regular season with 50 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions over the ‘22 and ‘23 seasons as Seattle’s starter. He lost his first career playoff start, in January 2023. The Pro Bowl selections are the first two of his 11-year career.
He missed two games late last season with a groin injury.
Smith has this year and next season remaining on his three-year, $105 million contract extension with Seattle.
Last week, Smith said 2 1/2 months before his 34th birthday: “I’ve gotten faster. I’ve gotten stronger. I put on more muscle.
“You know, you got to credit the strength staff here, my people back home (in Miami) who do a great job, and then that mindset that I’ve talked about of always wanting to get better and just trying to push yourself.”
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