Quenton Nelson Needs Knee Surgery After Seahawks Debut

The Seattle Seahawks will be without newly acquired guard Quenton Nelson for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. Coach Mike Macdonald said on November 6 that Nelson needs minor surgery on his knee and is considered week-to-week. The team has no intention of adding him to injured reserve.

Seattle acquired Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts last week, sending a 2027 third-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder. He made his Seahawks debut in Monday night’s 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. Nelson had been listed with a knee injury the previous week, but practiced fully for three days before playing against Chicago.

Macdonald said Nelson had been managing the injury when he joined Seattle, and that further imaging showed it had been aggravated to some degree. The team decided to address it now, he said, with the aim of taking a longer-term view. Nelson was limited in practice Wednesday and did not practice Thursday.

Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said earlier in the week that he saw room for the offensive line to improve after the Bears game, while noting the adjustments involved in bringing new players into new positions. Seattle will have to wait for Nelson’s return before he can contribute to that progress.