For left tackle Charles Cross, things still have a chance to turn around. The best player on the Seattle Seahawks' offensive line has missed the last several games because of an injured hamstring. On the first day of practice ahead of his team's Divisional Round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, he was a full participant. That changed on Wednesday.
The hope is that on Thursday, Cross will be back to practicing fully with no concerns. Perhaps the team simply wanted to give the left tackle a bit more rest after being out for so long. The issue is that the reason he was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice was a new problem.
Cross was listed with a hamstring injury, but also one related to his knee. No real details are known about the issue, and the Seahawks, as well as many other teams, will simply list anything that could be wrong with a player as a reason they can't play or practice.
Seattle Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross has a new injury pop up ahead of 49ers showdown
Still, Thursday's practice, the last full one before Saturday's game, will be telling. The left tackle should have some kind of injury designation with the hopes that he isn't listed as doubtful. That would mean he is unlikely to play, of course.
In his place would have been Josh Jones, the free agent pick-up from last offseason. Jones has been quite good starting in place of Cross, but Jones is a longtime backup for a reason. He is solid, but how good can he be consistently?
This is especially true as he will be playing against the same team twice in a row (Seattle and the 49ers played in Week 18), and San Francisco will know better how to attack him. The problem is that Jones hasn't practiced this week either, as he is dealing with his own knee injury. If neither Cross nor Jones can play, the assumption is that Amari Kight would, and that is far from ideal.
Kight was an undrafted free agent in 2025 and has only played four downs this season. No one could know how well Kight would hold up against the 49ers.
In other injury news, star linebacker Ernest Jones IV missed Wednesday's practice with an illness, but the assumption is he will play for the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. Cornerback Riq Woolen was once again limited with an oblique injury.