One of the few bad things that happened for the Seattle Seahawks last night was Charles Cross departing late in the fourth quarter with an injury. Today, we received confirmation that the injury is significant, although perhaps not catastrophic. Per reports, Cross has a high-ankle sprain that is going to sideline him for at least 1-2 weeks. Emphasis on at least.

The Reality Check

I say that last part because, typically, high-ankle sprains take longer than 1-2 weeks to heal up from, and that estimate strikes me as optimistic. Perhaps they have reason to believe that this one is more minor than typical, but I’m personally suspecting he’ll miss the next three games. After that, the Seahawks have a bye, and they play some weaker defenses coming up.

There’s also, for the moment, no real reason to rush Charles Cross back due to the Seahawks having a proven backup who has already come through for them before. Josh Jones, who will start at left tackle until Cross returns, played several games late in the season last year and got the job done. He’s not as good as Cross, but you can win with him.

Next Steps

However, it’s worth noting that this injury leaves Seattle without a real backup left tackle behind Jones. As it is, Jones was the only backup tackle Seattle was carrying on their roster for both the left and right sides. The practice squad options are Bobby Hart, who has always been a right tackle, and Logan Brown, who had a miserable preseason and doesn’t seem ready.

So I would anticipate that the Seahawks sign someone from free agency in the coming days. Nothing big or overly noteworthy, but a body who can get the job done on some level and some experience playing on the blindside. It’ll likely be a player we know very little about right now, but I don’t believe the team can move forward this thin at tackle on both ends.

The Real Cost

What I really don’t like about this is the lost opportunity for this offensive line to build continuity. The Seahawks decided to prioritize synergy over talent this offseason, bringing back all five starters from 2025 and the offensive line coach. They wanted guys that knew each other and knew how to play together. So far, they’ve been unable to take full advantage of that.

Anthony Bradford played the opener and then missed the next five games. He returned last night, with obvious positive impact from that, but now Cross will miss at least some time. Hopefully, when Charles gets back, this line will get at least a few weeks to find the continuity again. It was most certainly a lot better last night, but the next few games might be bumpy.