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The Seattle Seahawks suffered another pair of significant injury setbacks Sunday night, with rookie safety Bud Clark breaking his right ankle and offensive lineman Mason Richman suffering what coach Mike Macdonald described as a major, long-term injury in a 19-16 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Clark was injured on Seattle’s opening defensive snap at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Trainers placed his leg in an air cast before he was carted off the field. Macdonald said the second-round pick is expected to miss multiple months.
Richman went down during Seattle’s opening drive while starting at left guard. Although the second-year offensive lineman was able to walk off the field, the Seahawks believe he also suffered a significant injury.
“Two guys that we love, that play our style of ball, that are our types of guys, teammates love them, great teammates, great guys, great football players, they have great futures,” Macdonald said. “It’s a heartbreaker, honestly. We had three heartbreakers this week, which is tough.”
Bud Clark Suffers Broken Ankle
Clark’s injury came on the first defensive play of the game and immediately appeared serious.
The Seahawks’ second-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft went down after the play, and medical personnel attended to him before placing him on a cart. Players from both Seattle and Tennessee gathered around him before medical personnel took him from the field.
Clark had primarily worked with Seattle’s second-team defense during training camp, but the Seahawks gave him the start Sunday with the team’s regular starters resting.
The rookie had been competing for a larger role in the secondary and could have challenged Ty Okada for the starting safety position opposite Julian Love.
Macdonald said the team will now have to reassess its plans at safety.
“We’re going to have to reevaluate where we’re at,” Macdonald said. “We saw some good things today out of AJ (Finley) and D’Anthony (Bell), so we’ll see. Max (Maxen Hook) I think did some good stuff, but we’ll definitely have to reevaluate.”
Mason Richman Also Faces Long-Term Absence
Richman suffered his injury during Seattle’s first offensive possession.
The second-year offensive lineman started at left guard and was able to walk to the sideline without assistance, but the Seahawks later indicated that they believed the injury was serious.
“We’re going to try to figure out what’s going on with Mason, but we also think that’s a major injury, a long-term injury,” Macdonald said.
Richman had been competing for a role along Seattle’s offensive line and could have provided valuable depth heading into the regular season.
The Seahawks will now await further evaluation to determine the exact nature and recovery timeline of his injury.
Seahawks Already Dealing With Injury Problems
The latest injuries add to an increasingly difficult stretch for Seattle.
Wide receiver Jake Bobo suffered a serious knee injury during Friday’s joint practice with the Titans, and the Seahawks placed him on injured reserve Saturday. Bobo will likely miss the season.
The Seahawks are also dealing with uncertainty surrounding safety Nick Emmanwori, who underwent ankle surgery in July. Although he has passed his physical and come off the physically unable to perform list, he has yet to return to practice.
Another safety, Rodney Thomas II, also underwent surgery this week to repair a fracture in his right hand. Thomas did not play Sunday but could potentially return for Seattle’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Seattle was also without running back Emanuel Wilson, receiver Tory Horton and cornerback Julian Neal because of injuries.
Seattle Faces Difficult Decisions at Safety
Clark’s injury is particularly concerning because the Seahawks were already managing Emmanwori’s recovery.
Emmanwori was likely to return before Seattle’s Sept. 9 regular-season opener against the New England Patriots, but his lack of participation in practice has created some uncertainty about that timeline.
With Clark now expected to miss multiple months and Thomas recovering from hand surgery, Seattle may need to lean more heavily on players such as Finley, Bell and Hook.
The Seahawks have already lost Bobo for the season and could now be without Clark and Richman for significant portions of the upcoming campaign.
Macdonald acknowledged the emotional toll the injuries have taken on the team.
“To see how the team reacted, I think we had the whole team go out there to give him some love,” Macdonald said of Clark. “I think that tells you what everybody thinks about him.”
