Seahawks React to Bud Clark Injury vs. Titans

Bud Clark is on the road to recovery after suffering an ankle injury in the Seattle Seahawks' 19-16 loss against the Tennessee Titans in the second week of the preseason.

Clark has only been with the Seahawks since April, when he became the No. 64 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft out of TCU, but he has already made quite an impression in Seattle's locker room.

"I just think, like, to see how our team reacted, I think we had the whole team go out there to give him some love. I think that tells you what everybody thinks about him," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said postgame.

Macdonald hugged Clark at halftime, knowing how significant the injury could become.

What Bud Clark's Injury Means for the Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks trainer holds the ankle of safety Bud Clark as they wait for the cart against the Tennessee Titans. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Clark was emerging as one of the top contributors for the secondary, in hopes that he would replace Coby Bryant, who signed with the Chicago Bears earlier in the offseason. However, he likely won't be able to return to the field until the middle of the season at the earliest.

It begs the question as to when the Seahawks should rest their key players for the preseason or not. Clark, however, is a rookie, and him benefitting from the reps from the preseason was a priority for the Seahawks. Unfortunately, it didn't work out in their favor.

"Yeah, that's one thing you obviously try to avoid as much as you can in the preseason games. It is the life of football, though," Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock said postgame. "... Bud (Clark) coming in, working as hard as he has, figuring the system out, finally getting comfortable, to have something like that, I don't know what happened. But it was serious enough to get carted off."

"It almost takes like the life out of the game. With an injury like that, just to know what he's going to go through, and the pain that he's in, it's bigger than football at that point. Your heart just breaks for your brother. So, it takes a minute to kind of regroup as a team. We'll just lift him up and he'll be in our prayers," Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole added.

Clark was figuring out the system pretty quickly, which would have given him a good chance to earn playing time right out of the gate. Now, he will learn from the sidelines as he attempts to come back from his injury. Macdonald and the Seahawks will now figure out who will replace him.

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