The Seahawks put safety Bud Clark and offensive lineman Mason Richman on injured reserve Tuesday, turning two preseason injuries into immediate roster churn on a 90-man roster that had already been thinned by the weekend.
For Clark, the move formalized what Seattle had been bracing for since he broke his ankle on the first defensive snap of the preseason loss to the Titans. Mike Macdonald said Clark would be out multiple months, a timetable that points to a recovery measured in months rather than weeks.
That is why the news landed now. Clark was not just another camp body. He was described as a second-round pick in this year's draft, and the Seahawks were counting on him to survive the preseason and grow into a deeper role. Instead, one snap ended that plan and forced Seattle to shift quickly while the preseason is still unfolding.
Mason Richman joined him on injured reserve after what Macdonald called a major, long-term injury in the same game, but the exact diagnosis was not disclosed. That leaves Seattle with one confirmed answer and one unresolved one: Clark is expected to miss multiple months, while Richman's recovery path remains undefined beyond the label of serious and long term.
The Seahawks had three open spots on the 90-man roster, and they used all three on Tuesday, signing tackle Derrick Graham, safety Tysheem Johnson and running back Justin Jones. Jones already has one preseason run on his ledger, a three-yard carry in Seattle's opener, while Graham and Johnson arrive with different paths: Graham spent time with Houston before being waived early in training camp, and Johnson came through training camp and the preseason with the Bears last year before later landing on Atlanta's practice squad.
Macdonald did not sound interested in separating the human cost from the football cost. He said the club had two really tough injuries, called both players guys the team loved, and described them as great teammates and great football players with great futures. He also called the weekend's run of injuries a heartbreaker, saying the team had three heartbreakers this weekend, which is tough.
That leaves Seattle where it usually does in August after an injury wave: filling space while waiting for bodies to heal. Clark's absence will last into the season's middle stretch at minimum, and Richman's timeline is still open, which means the Seahawks' immediate job is less about exact returns than about keeping the roster intact long enough to get there.
