Seattle Seahawks fullback Robbie Ouzts saw his Super Bowl-winning rookie season end during the playoffs due to a neck injury, and he will miss all of 2026 after he was placed on injured reserve due to that ongoing neck problem.
It’s natural to speculate the worst case scenario of a neck injury potentially ending someone’s career, as was the case for Seahawks from yesteryear like Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor, and Mack Strong. If there is any sign of optimism that this isn’t the end of the road for Ouzts after such a short professional stint, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald provided a glimmer of hope at Friday’s press conference.
“It’s an unfortunate situation,” Macdonald said of Ouzts’ injury. “It’s just someone you are really rooting for. To our knowledge, there is a recovery process, and this should help his career long-term. That’s why we are doing it.”
For what it’s worth, Emerald City Spectrum’s Corbin Smith was told earlier in the week that, “The organization remains optimistic that this won’t be a career-threatening issue and that he will be able to return healthy in 2027.”
The Seahawks currently have Brady Russell as the lead fullback, albeit a bit undersized for the position, hence he’s more of a fullback/tight end hybrid. Brock Lampe, a former Northern Illinois fullback who was coached by current Seahawks running backs coach Thomas Hammock, was added to the roster last week.