In the first quarter of preseason Week 2, Seattle Seahawks rookie safety Bud Clark was injured. He needed to be carted off the field, and more tests will be needed to determine the severity of the injury. Any time a player has to be carted off is normally a bad thing, though.
To make matters worse, Clark had an air cast placed on his leg, implying he either had a broken leg or a severe joint injury. The determination of how long he will be out likely won't happen until Monday at the earliest, but the first indications were that he will probably be out for some time.
Seattle has gone through quite the mess with its secondary already. The cornerback group hasn't played as well as the team hoped through training camp and preseason Week 1, proven by the Seahawks wanting to sign embattled Terrion Arnold and then actually signing oft-injured Trevon Diggs.
Seattle Seahawks rookie Bud Clark is injured early in preseason Week 2
Clark doesn't play outside cornerback, of course, but could have seen reps in the slot, allowing Devon Witherspoon to slide outside and second-year player Nick Emmanwori to align wherever Mike Macdonald wants him to.
The last two things can still happen, but likely without the services of Clark. The second-round draft pick was a ball-hawk in college at TCU, and the Seattle Seahawks were probably hoping he would transpose that into his NFL career. Hopefully, that still happens, but it might not happen in his rookie season.
Again, no official word has been announced about Bud Clark's injury, but the game was still being played, and tests might not occur until the team returns to Seattle. What appears clear is that the Seahawks will need to revamp their secondary once again.
Prayers up for Bud Clark 🙏 pic.twitter.com/9n7IEuX8Ni
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 24, 2026
The cornerback starters will be Josh Jobe and Witherspoon, but the slot might need to be manned by free agent Noah Igbinoghene at times. Clark was the kind of player, like Emmanwori, who offered positional flexibility, which would have helped Mike Macdonald disguise his defenses a bit better. Now, that seems unlikely.
The brutal reality is that should Clark miss significant time, and potentially the entire season, his assumed roster spot would be open. Players battling to hang onto the bottom of the Seattle Seahawks roster now have a better chance to do so. That includes Igbinoghene, but also maybe safety AJ Finley. Football life goes on, but maybe the news about Clark will be better than expected.
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