Injury Status 'Unclear' For Seahawks C Olu Oluwatimi Ahead of Week 16

Seattle Seahawks starting center Olu Oluwatimi may not be available for the team's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Nov 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (51) blocks San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Sam Okuayinonu (91) in the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks lost more than just their starting quarterback in Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Mike Macdonald said postgame starting center Olu Oluwatimi also sustained a “quad/knee combo” injury.

Oluwatimi, now in his second season after being selected in the fifth round of last year’s draft, played Seattle’s first two drives of the game before exiting and was replaced by undrafted rookie Jalen Sundell for the remainder of the game.

Macdonald added they knew little about the severity of Oluwatimi’s injury postgame. He appeared to still know little on Monday about his center’s status for Sunday’s Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

"[It’s] a little more unclear right now,” Macdonald said. “I’d call it day-to-day with Olu [Oluwatimi].”

Oluwatimi has started the last five games for the Seahawks since Connor Williams retired during their Week 10 bye week. The offensive line has made strides since he filled that role and Abraham Lucas returned to his starting role at right tackle.

“I don’t think that anyone was wildly surprised by [Oluwatimi] doing a good job … I know he is a much better player than he was during the first week of training camp,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on Dec. 12. “So that’s a big-time tip of the cap to Olu, just the way he’s approached this and he’s meant a lot to the offense. He was bringing that steadiness to us.”

If Oluwatimi can’t play versus Minnesota, Sundell will make his first NFL start. Sundell played 48 offensive snaps (81 percent of total) against the Packers and played decent in a game where the offensive line struggled mightily as a unit.

Macdonald appears to have faith in Sundell should be needed as the team’s primary center once again.

“Jalen [Sundell] did a nice job, he operated it well,” Macdonald said on Monday. “A couple plays that maybe took a minute to get his feet wet, get ready to go, in his first meaningful action at center, but had some really good plays as well, so he did a nice job.”

As for who would backup Sundell, Macdonald said the coaching staff is “working through that right now, but [rookie third-round pick] Christian Haynes would be a possibility.” Haynes has been a backup right guard for Seattle this season and played fairly significant snaps even before former starter Anthony Bradford was placed on injured reserve.

Sataoa Laumea, a rookie fifth-round pick, has since filled the starting right guard role for the Seahawks over the past three games.

Sundell played five college seasons at North Dakota State and was slotted all across the offensive line during his career there. However, he played most of his snaps at left tackle and center, according to Pro Football Focus.

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Jalen Sundell (61) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“Well, he kind of plays all five spots. That’s part of his value,” Macdonald said. “He’s gotten a lot of reps at [offensive] tackle throughout camp and throughout the season, and then I think his athleticism and body type allows him to play the interior, and he’s really sharp. Being able to play center and make all the calls and be on point with that stuff is helpful as well.”

The Seahawks would prefer to have their proven starter in the lineup, but having a Swiss army knife like Sundell who now has some NFL experience under his belt can provide at least a baseline level of confidence in Week 16.

Considering Macdonald deemed Oluwatimi as day-to-day, there’s a good chance he’ll be ready to play. But his status will become more clear on Wednesday when the Seahawks release their first practice report of the week.

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