Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

How Did Uchenna Nwosu Perform in Return to Seahawks' Lineup?

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Corbin Smith | Last updated Dec 11, 2024 11:34 AM ET

RENTON, Wash. - Finally returning to the field after a third significant injury in a calendar year, the Seattle Seahawks expectedly had veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu on a pitch count in Sunday's 30-18 win over the Arizona Cardinals, easing him back into action.

Coming off injured reserve earlier in the week after recovering from a torn thigh, Nwosu played 21 out of 71 defensive snaps, or 30 percent of Seattle's plays. With those opportunities, he produced a single tackle and a quarterback hit on Kyler Murray, and after making it out of the game without any issues, coach Mike Macdonald hopes the team will be able to ramp up his workload moving forward.

"It was great to have him out there. He played really hard," Macdonald said on Monday. "We're still on a coming-back-to-play type of plan, so that'll continue this week. We'll see if it's a full workload or not by the end of the week going into Sunday, but we're just excited to have him back, and then his role will grow here as we keep moving forward. But excited to have him back."

Statistically, Nwosu had a somewhat quiet performance, and he showed the most rust after another lengthy layoff in the pass rushing department. The Cardinals did a good job of limiting his effectiveness on speed rushes and he often found himself in a stalemate unable to shed blocks at the top of his rush, though that may have been by design in part for the Seahawks with a more conservative rushing plan aiming to keep Kyler Murray from exiting the pocket.

On 17 pass rushing reps, per Pro Football Focus charting, Nwosu didn't register a pass rushing "win," resulting in a zero percent Pass Rush Win rate. However, on Arizona's final offensive drive, he knocked guard Trystan Colon to the ground stunting inside and made his way to Murray to deliver a quarterback hit as he threw, showcasing the quickness penetrating the pocket that helped him produce 9.5 sacks for Seattle just two years ago.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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