Seattle Seahawks’ top OLB Uchenna Nwosu likely done for season

Oct 23, 2023, 4:29 PM | Updated: 5:23 pm

Uchenna Nwosu of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a play on Sept. 10, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Editor of SeattleSports.com

The Seattle Seahawks’ defense that has been making significant strides in recent weeks has been dealt a tough blow.

Carroll: Seahawks’ Witherspoon ‘left his mark’ again in Week 7 win

Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, the team’s top pass rusher last season, has a pectoral injury that will likely need to be repaired by surgery, which would end his 2023 campaign.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll shared the news Monday afternoon during a press conference.

“He’s got a pec injury that’s probably going to require surgery. That’s what we’re hearing right now,” Carroll said of Nwosu.

Asked if the injury was season-ending, Carroll responded: “I don’t have all of the information on it but it sounds like it’s heading towards surgery, so if that happens, yes.”

Nwosu left Sunday’s 20-10 Seahawks win over the Arizona Cardinals early due to the injury.

The 26-year-old Nwosu joined Seattle in free agency prior to last year, then produced his best season in the NFL. In 2022, Nwosu tied for the team lead with 9.5 sacks and led Seattle with 12 tackles for loss and 26 QB hits. He also made 66 combined tackles, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 17 games.

Watch a snippet of what @WymanAndBob had to say about what the potential season long loss of Nwosu to this #Seahawks Defense means. https://t.co/xdDnqmKIDF pic.twitter.com/nEPuVpnJgR

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) October 23, 2023

In six games this year, Nwosu has two sacks, four tackles for loss, six QB hits, two forced fumbles and 16 combined tackles.

Prior to signing with the Seattle Seahawks, Nwosu spent four years with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was a second-round NFL Draft pick in 2018 out of USC.

On Monday morning’s Pete Carroll Show on Seattle Sports, the Hawks coach was confident in his team’s other outside linebackers, namely second-year player Boye Mafe, in the case of Nwosu needing to miss extended time. At the time of the conversation with Brock and Salk, Carroll said he was still waiting to hear an update on Nwosu’s status.

“Boye’s doing a fine job and and we’re gonna need him, you know,” Carroll said. “‘Chenna’ got banged up in this game, I’m not sure, I don’t have the final results from the docs yet but those (other outside linebackers) are gonna have to play more at least in the next next week we think.”

In addition to Mafe, the Seahawks will look for more contributions in Nwosu’s absence from pass rushers Darrell Taylor and Derick Hall, the latter a rookie. Mafe, Taylor and Hall are all second-round picks drafted by Seattle in the past four years.

“We’ve had a rotation going the whole time and we’ll just continue that,” Carroll said during Monday’s press conference. “It challenges it, though. ‘Chenna’ is a fantastic football player and a great team member. He’s such a tough guy and such a heady player and so consistent. He’s always really physical so he always sends the right message. We’ll really miss him.”