Seattle Seahawks C Sundell expected to miss 'multiple weeks'

Seattle Seahawks center Jalen Sundell is expected to miss “multiple weeks” with a knee injury that he suffered in Sunday’s rout of the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters on Monday afternoon.

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Macdonald said it’s possible that Seattle could place Sundell on injured reserve, but that the injury isn’t expected to be season-ending. An IR stint would require Sundell to miss at least four games.

“It’s gonna be multiple weeks,” Macdonald said. “And I’d say IR is under consideration with it. So, not season-ending as of today. He’s tough as (heck). We’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. But hopefully we’ll get him back.”

Sundell, an undrafted second-year center out of North Dakota State, hurt his knee on a goal-line run play in the second quarter. After being tended to by trainers, Sundell limped off the field and was ruled out for the rest of the game shortly afterward.

Backup center Olu Oluwatimi replaced Sundell and played the rest of the way, save for the final series. Rookie guard Bryce Cabeldue handled the final snaps at center as the Seahawks were running out the clock.

Sundell and Oluwatimi were in a two-man battle for the starting center job throughout training camp, but Oluwatimi dealt with a back injury that sidelined him for all three preseason games. Sundell ultimately won the competition and has started all nine games at center for the league’s third-ranked scoring offense.

Sundell ranks 27th out of 36 centers in Pro Football Focus grading, including 12th in pass block grading and 30th in run block grading. According to PFF, Sundell has allowed no sacks and only one quarterback hit in 257 pass block snaps. As a team, Seattle has allowed an NFL-low 10 sacks.

Oluwatimi, a 2023 fifth-round draft pick out of Michigan, has made nine career starts – including eight starts last year after veteran Connor Williams’ sudden midseason retirement. Oluwatimi played well during that stretch, finishing the season at 19th out of 40 centers in PFF grading. He ranked 22nd in run block grading and 34th in pass block grading.

Seattle Seahawks C Sundell expected to miss ‘multiple weeks’

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