Seahawks Update Anthony Bradford’s Status For Cardinals Game

Rather than let the drama build up to tomorrow morning, the Seattle Seahawks made Anthony Bradford’s injury status clear earlier today.

Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) talks to media members at the San Jose Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seattle Seahawks will be kicking off their road schedule, as well as their divisional schedule, tomorrow without several key starters. Sam Darnold is the big one, obviously, but you also have starting safety Ty Okada and possibly starting slot corner Nick Emmanwori sitting as well. And now, we have confirmation on another absence from the lineup.

Anthony Bradford Downgraded To OUT

The team decided to go ahead and acknowledge what many already suspected earlier today, marking right guard Anthony Bradford as out for tomorrow. This comes after a knee injury, which came into play before the opener, was compounded by a hip injury in the most recent week of practice. Bradford made all twenty starts for the team last season.

Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Given that his status dropped from limited participation on Wednesday and Thursday to no participation on Friday, I don’t find this particularly surprising. But for a team that is already trying to survive with a backup quarterback, losing continuity on the offensive line is no small thing. Bradford is considered the weak link up front, sure, but he’s still the best we have.

An Opportunity For A Draft Disappointment

The beneficiary of this injury is Christian Haynes, a third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2024 who was expected to quickly become a quality NFL starter but has mostly been unplayable. Lacking even the fundamental strength necessary to play the position, while not having the movement skills to slide to the left or the snapping prowess to try center.

Seattle Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64) against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first two years of Haynes’s career have been a complete dud, as he’s barely played and looked very poor when getting to play. However, the 2026 preseason showed some signs of life, as Haynes had some good reps and looked completely different from the player we had seen previously. If he can find a way to look good tomorrow, we might be getting somewhere.

Bigger Ramifications

For Bradford, this is obviously not what he needed in a contract year. Despite his limitations, he’s definitely a player that could earn tens of millions of dollars on a second contract, but it will be hard to earn that kind of offer if he’s not playing. Especially if his backup comes in and the offense doesn’t seem to suffer for it. For his sake, he needs to get better fast.

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) celebrates with guard Anthony Bradford (75) after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But Haynes’s window is bigger than just one, or even a few games. Christian’s contract runs through 2027, whereas Bradford’s expires in the next offseason. Beau Stephens doesn’t seem ready yet. There’s a timeline where Haynes takes over as the starter at right guard next season, and can use his own contract year as a launch point for a good NFL career.

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