Geno Smith ruled out indefinitely with knee and hip injury, Sam Howell moved up to QB1

The Seattle Seahawks got hit with the injury bug this week at the top of the depth chart. Starting quarterback Geno Smith reportedly underwent imaging on Thursday night after suffering a knee and hip injury that kept him out of practice. The imaging indicated that Smith will not miss time during the regular season, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, however, the team will move forward in training camp with backup QB Sam Howell taking Smith’s reps until his return to play.

“He’s working through a couple things from the other day,” first-year head coach Mike McDonald said on Thursday. “But we’ll get some imaging tonight, and we’ll see.”

Geno Smith out ‘indefinitely’

Smith missed several practices this week after he got banged up at training camp on Tuesday. The former second-rounder out of West Virginia played in all but two games last season for Seattle. He pulled a muscle in his groin in December that caused him to miss two games. He played through a tricep strain in November though.

During the 2023 season, Smith posted 3,624 passing yards with 20 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He had a completion rate of 64.7%, down from 69.8% in 2022. During the 2022 season, Smith shined for the Seahawks. In 17 games, he had 4,282 yards with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

After his 2022 performance, Smith locked in a new three-year deal with the Seahawks. The three-year deal pays out $75 million and includes $30 million in incentives.

With Smith now injured, the team’s deal to pick up Sam Howell from the Commanders is looking very smart. Howell spent the 2023 season as the starter in Washington, throwing for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns in Eric Bieniemy’s scheme.

He struggled with ball security, though. He threw 21 interceptions while the Commanders finished with a 4-13 overall to clinch the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft. The team drafted former LSU star Jayden Daniels and sent Howell to Seattle in exchange for a swap in draft picks.

Geno Smith has played 11 seasons so far in the NFL. The New York Jets drafted him out of West Virginia in the 2023 NFL Draft. He stuck with the team until 2017 when he signed with the Giants as a free agent. He then moved coasts to play for the Chargers before inking with the Seattle Seahawks for the 2020 season.