The Seattle Seahawks enter Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals knowing they will not have starting quarterback Sam Darnold. Drew Lock will take his spot. But Seattle will likely be without a couple of key defensive players, too, and others will need to step up and be as good as they were in Week 1.
Arizona hasn't defeated Seattle since November 2021, but with Darnold out, the Cardinals might have their best opportunity to defeat the Seahawks in years. This means depth will matter for head coach Mike Macdonald's team in hopes of going 2-0 to begin this season.
Seattle should get the win as they have the better roster overall, but the margin of quality is diminished in Week 2. The players who follow will need to be terrific.
The Seattle Seahawks need some players deeper on the depth chart to step up in Week 2
Safety Rodney Thomas
Thomas started in Week 1 with Ty Okada and Nick Emmanwori out. Okada will almost certainly be out again, as he hasn't practiced this week due to a hamstring injury. Emmanwori has been limited while trying to return from ankle surgery that he had in July. Thomas is expected to start again.
Against the New England Patriots, Thomas was involved in four tackles, played 70 reps, and while he allowed two completions on three targets, those passes only accumulated nine yards.
Thomas was a full-time starter for the Indianapolis Colts in his first two seasons before being relegated to the bench in the last two. That means he has good experience in the NFL, and he is likely a better fit in Mike Macdonald's scheme than he ever was in Indy.
Running back George Holani
Holani was the clear RB2 in Week 1, finishing with eight carries to Jadarian Price's 10. Price is going to start and should get more rushes in Week 2, partly motivated by facing his Notre Dame teammate Jeremiyah Love's new team. One rookie will want to outdo the other.
Still, Holani is going to get his touches, and the Seattle Seahawks trust him to be productive. With Drew Lock behind center, the team could run the ball more, which means more carries for Price and Holani.
The latter has the power to break off a long run or two. While spelling Price, Holani could have the best game of his career.
Tight end Elijah Arroyo
Arroyo shouldn't be an unsung player since he was drafted in the second round in 2025, but he also made extremely little impact as a rookie and in Week 1 of this season. In the preseason, he was targeted quite a bit, but maybe because the team wanted to see if he could actually be a good fit in offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's system.
The tight end has good size at 6'5" and good speed, and he should be a receiving threat, but that hasn't materialized yet. In Week 2, it could. Arizona might be focused on the more established AJ Barner and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
While Arizona has added some defensive talent and has a new direction because of a different coaching staff, in 2025, the Cardinals allowed the third-most receptions to tight ends (107) and the fourth-most touchdowns (11). Arroyo could expose Arizona to be the same thing they were last year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google