Seahawks G Damien Lewis Exits Preseason Game With Leg Injury

Trainers rushed to the field at the urging of center Austin Blythe and quickly put Lewis' leg in an air cast after he suffered what appeared to be a significant injury.

SEATTLE, Wash. - If there's one goal all NFL teams share during the preseason, it's avoiding injuries, particularly to starters. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, they weren't so lucky in their second exhibition game against the Bears.

After having his leg rolled up on during a first down run by DeeJay Dallas, starting guard Damien Lewis left the field on a cart with his right leg in an air cast and was promptly ruled out with an ankle injury. The injury appeared to be a serious one from the outset as teammate Austin Blythe immediately called for trainers after the whistle blew.

Lewis, a third-year guard out of LSU, has started 29 games at left and right guard during his first two NFL seasons. As a rookie in 2020, he received All-Rookie Team recognition from the Pro Football Writers Association and earned a top-10 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Injuries hindered his performance a bit in his sophomore season, but he still started 13 games in the trenches.

If Lewis misses extended time, fourth-year guard Phil Haynes will step in as his replacement across from veteran Gabe Jackson. The former fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest played well in a pair of starts late last season at each guard spot and re-signed on a restricted free agent tender in March.

In other injury news, second-round pick Boye Mafe left for the locker room with a shoulder injury early in the second quarter. But the rookie out of Minnesota returned to action shortly after and appears to be okay.