Severity of Injuries to Seattle Seahawks Uchenna Nwosu, Artie Burns Unclear

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said they aren't sure how long edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu and cornerback Artie Burns will be out with injuries sustained Saturday.

September 18, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Even with the Seattle Seahawks earning a 37-33 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night, head coach Mike Macdonald’s worst fears came true: Starters and expected big contributors sustained injuries.

Starting outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu went down with an injury in the first quarter after a chop block by Browns guard Wyatt Teller hit the edge rusher’s knee at nearly the same time running back Jerome Ford hit Nwosu in the shoulder.

Nwosu walked off the field but was escorted into the medical tent, emerged with ice on his knee and later went to the locker room.

Slot corner Artie Burns also exited the game after Seattle’s first drive with the starting defense. Burns was carted off the field after having his foot/ankle looked at on the sideline. Macdonald confirmed postgame it was a foot injury.

Macdonald said the team still knows very little about both injuries, but they will want to determine the severity before final cutdowns on Tuesday.

On Nwosu specifically, Macdonald said after the game “We’ll probably know more in the next couple days.” When asked whether Teller made a “football play” on the block, Macdonald was direct in his response.

“I don’t really want to comment on it. Seemed like an obvious penalty,” he said.

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Artie Burns (23) during training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

If either are placed on injured reserve before the 53-man roster is set, they’ll be forced to miss the season. Seattle can wait to place them on IR until after cuts, but that means they can’t allocate an initial roster spot elsewhere.

The most likely outcome is both remain on the roster through Tuesday and if either needs to be placed on IR after, they will only have to miss a minimum of four games. The Seahawks can then make the needed roster adjustments.

Nwosu suffered a torn pectoral injury in Week 7 of the 2023 season, and he missed the remainder of the campaign. Burns had recently received an apparent vote of confidence from the coaching staff by trading veteran cornerback Mike Jackson on Thursday.

Both players are expected to be key defensive cogs for Seattle in 2024 when healthy.