Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald didnât hold back when asked about rookie left guard Grey Zabel after Sundayâs 30-24 win over the Tennessee Titans. Days after a scary knee injury and a game-time decision tag, Macdonald said Zabel wanted the smoke against Tennesseeâs front and refused to sit this one out.
âThis guy (Zabel), heâs unbelievable. He wanted to go in against their front. What else can you say? Heâs an elite competitor, tough as crap. We love him. It felt like he played really good football too, so happy for him,â Macdonald said postgame.
The comments come a week after Zabel went down late in the loss to the Los Angeles Rams with what looked like a potentially season-altering knee injury. Initial tests came back far better than feared, with Macdonald calling the damage ânothing significantâ and listing the first-round pick as day-to-day.
By the end of the week, Zabel had gone from cart-watching candidate to limited participant to active in Nashville, officially cleared after being listed as a game-time decision.
From âDay-to-Dayâ to Taking on Jeffery Simmons
What made Macdonaldâs praise land even harder is who Zabel was lining up against. Tennessee might be 1-10, but defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is still one of the leagueâs true game-wreckers and was circled all week as Seattleâs top blocking priority.
Instead of protecting a tender knee against a struggling opponent, Zabel pushed to be in the lineup and took on a Titans front that has ruined plenty of game plans. Macdonald said the staff was ready to roll with Christian Haynes at left guard if needed, a contingency theyâd already discussed as Zabel tested the knee in practice.
The Seahawks ultimately trusted the rookieâs feel for his body, and Macdonaldâs postgame tone made it clear Zabel rewarded that faith. Seattle moved the ball consistently for three quarters, with Sam Darnold throwing two touchdown passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the offense building leads of 23-3 and 30-10 before things got dicey late.
What It Means for Seahawks & Zabel Going Forward
Macdonaldâs quote is the latest sign of how the organization views Zabel internally. Seattle spent the No. 18 overall pick on the North Dakota State product in April, calling him their top interior line target and praising his versatility and mentality on draft night.
Since then, Zabel has quickly gone from intriguing rookie to cornerstone. He locked down the starting left guard job, helped stabilize a line thatâs been a problem spot for years, and has already drawn national attention for his pass protection.
Inside the building, the praise has only escalated. Earlier in the week, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called Zabel âa little gangsterâ while talking about how hard he attacked his knee rehab and how badly he wanted to get back on the field. Macdonaldâs âelite competitor, tough as crapâ line now adds the head coachâs stamp on the same narrative.
For a fan base that spent most of the week refreshing injury updates and debating whether it was worth risking Zabel against a one-win Titans team, Sunday brought a clear message from the guy in charge: the rookie wasnât being pushed; he was pushing to play.
And if Macdonaldâs read is right â that Zabel played âreally good footballâ while testing that knee in live action â the Seahawks may have dodged the worst-case scenario while also learning something important about one of the franchiseâs new building blocks.
With Minnesotaâs aggressive pass rush up next and the NFC West race tightening, Seattle will continue to monitor Zabelâs workload. But after a week of anxiety, Macdonaldâs words set the tone: Grey Zabel isnât just back â heâs the kind of lineman who insists on running toward the toughest fronts, not away from them.
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