Darnold, along with most of Seattle\u2019s starters, sat out last week\u2019s preseason opener. But on Wednesday, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald indicated the plan is for the bulk of their starters to get at least a little action<\/a> on Friday, including Darnold.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we need to, but I think it\u2019s the best thing for us,\u201d Macdonald said when asked about playing Darnold and the first-team offense.<\/p>\n If Darnold does indeed take his first snaps with the Seahawks on Friday night, what should observers focus on? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard<\/a> said it all starts with Darnold\u2019s footwork.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to Sam, you need to see his feet,\u201d Huard said. \u201cWhen he struggles, that\u2019s where it is. You\u2019ll see it in his feet. \u2026 When the ball gets airmailed, you\u2019ll see it mechanically. You\u2019ll see it in the calmness of his body and his feet and everything else.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think over these three weeks, there has been just a nice buildup. And hopefully Friday night, we\u2019ll see the same. (Hopefully) we\u2019ll see that ball out on time, on rhythm, on point. I think he\u2019s felt more and more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Darnold, a former No. 3 overall pick, is coming off a breakout Pro Bowl season with the Minnesota Vikings that resurrected his once-disappointing NFL career. The former USC standout led the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season and orchestrated five game-winning drives last fall, while finishing fifth in the league in both passing yardage and touchdown passes.<\/p>\n However, the luster of Darnold\u2019s breakthrough was somewhat dulled by a rough finish, as he struggled in a blowout Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions and an ugly wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n With the Vikings making it clear that their QB of the future is 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy \u2013 who missed his entire rookie year with a torn meniscus \u2013 Darnold entered free agency this offseason and signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks.<\/p>\n Related: How will Sam Darnold fare in 2025? 3 insiders weigh in<\/a><\/p>\n And now, Darnold enters 2025 as one of the bigger mysteries in the NFL. Will he revert to his pre-2024 form? Or will he prove that last year\u2019s breakthrough wasn\u2019t a one-hit wonder?<\/p>\n The answers to those questions won\u2019t come until later this fall. But nevertheless, Darnold figures to be the headline Friday night.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will certainly be all eyes on Sam Darnold,\u201d Huard said.<\/p>\n Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link<\/a> or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.<\/p>\n More on the Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Huard: \u2018Keep an eye on\u2019 Seattle Seahawks undrafted rookie Connor O\u2019Toole<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Seattle Seahawks add fullback who played linebacker at WSU and Auburn<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Wyman & Bob\u2019s takeaways from Seattle Seahawks training camp<\/a>
\u2022 Stacy: Our 4 biggest questions about the Seattle Seahawks right now<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0With Knight out, is Seattle Seahawks\u2019 linebacker depth a concern?<\/a><\/p>\n
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