Seahawks will be crossing their fingers after Mike MacDonald's update on Geno Smith situation

Mike MacDonald hasn't even coached a game of any kind as Seattle Seahawks head coach yet, but his first season could be about to be dealt a setback.

MacDonald revealed on Thursday that starting quarterback Geno Smith, who has missed the last two practices at training camp, is set to undergo imaging on knee and hip issues.

Speaking to reporters, MacDonald said of Smith: "He’s working through a couple things from the other day. But we’ll get some imaging tonight, and we’ll see."

Smith is said to have been "banged up" during Tuesday's practice. Asked if Smith could return for Friday's practice, MacDonald replied: "I don’t know about tomorrow, but we’ll see what comes out of when he goes and sees the doc."

The severity of the problems Smith faces obviously won't be known until the tests come back.

However, if Smith is forced to miss any significant time, it would clearly be a massive blow to the Seahawks' hopes of hitting the ground running on offense in their first season under MacDonald and new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

Sam Howell has served as the QB1 in Smith's absence but, while the Seahawks believe in the player they acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders this offseason, at this early point in his career Howell still represents a step down from Smith.

Though Smith attracted criticism in some corners after the Seahawks missed the playoffs last season, he is still a very accurate quarterback capable of consistently creating explosive plays. Indeed, Smith, per rbsdm.com , was 11th in completion percentage over expectation last season. Per Pro Football Focus, only Trevor Lawrence (31) produced more big-time throws on attempts of 20 yards or more than Smith last season (26).

With Grubb, who ran a pass-heavy offense during his successful spell as coordinator for the Washington Huskies, taking over on that side of the ball, Smith could be set up for a big year if healthy.

But him putting together an impressive season in the new system is contingent on Smith getting the reps to be comfortable in the offense. That will not be as easy if Smith is on the shelf for several weeks.

Howell has a high ceiling, but the Seahawks should be crossing their fingers that the tests on Smith do not reveal anything more than the minor injuries he seems to have been nursing.

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