Geno Smith injured, out indefinitely at Seahawks training camp. Sam Howell QB1 for now

When will Geno Smith be back?

That’s the question of Seahawks training camp.

And their coach does not have the answer about their injured Pro Bowl quarterback.

“He’s working through a couple things from (Tuesday). Going to get some imaging (Thursday) night. And, we’ll see,” coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday after the eighth practice of camp, the second consecutive practice Smith missed.

Smith came onto the field about 20 minutes after practice began Thursday. He was wearing his practice jersey over sweats with a team cap instead of a helmet. He talked for a few minutes with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb during special-teams drills. Then he went back into the team facility as practice continued.

Asked if he expected the 33-year-old Smith to practice Friday, Macdonald said: “I don’t know about (Friday). But we’ll see what comes out of when he goes and sees the doc.”

The Seahawks’ season begins in one month plus one week, Sept. 8 against Denver at Lumen Field.

A league source told The News Tribune Wednesday Smith was getting his knee and hip “worked on” and that’s why he missed practice the first day.

Smith had a defensive teammate run into him and knock him to the turf at the end of a play during 11-on-11 scrimmaging Tuesday, when quarterbacks were off-limits from contact, as always. Smith got up favoring his leg a bit, but he finished practice.

“Yeah, he got banged up a little bit on Tuesday,” Macdonald said.

Smith then missed the team’s light practice in T-shirts without helmets Wednesday. Macdonald said that light of a practice this early in training camp was “injury-prevention driven.”

Sam Howell was the quarterback with the first-team offense again on Thursday.

He’s looked sharper this week than he was while throwing erratically the first four practices of camp. Thursday, Howell was accurate in the early scrimmage periods.

At the end, he threw an interception when Tre Brown jumped a short, inside route by DK Metcalf. Brown returned that for a touchdown, then punted the ball out of the end zone to celebrate.

On the next series, top pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu crashed in on Howell off the edge and knocked the ball free from the quarterback for a lost fumble.

Howell was the Washington Commanders’ starter last season, going 4-13. He led the NFL in passes attempted (612) and interceptions (21).

One of his best games came against the Seahawks at Lumen Field last Nov. 12. Howell completed 29 of 44 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns without an interception that day in Seattle. Smith rallied the Seahawks to 10 points late in their 29-26 win over Howell’s Commanders.

The Seahawks traded a fourth- and a sixth-round draft choice to acquire the 23-year-old Howell this spring.

Smith has made the NFC Pro Bowl team in each of his two seasons taking over as Seattle’s starter after the team traded Russell Wilson to Denver prior to the 2022 season. He’s gone 17-15 in the regular season with 50 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions over the ‘22 and ‘23 seasons as Seattle’s starter. He lost his first career playoff start, in January 2023. The Pro Bowl selections are the first two of his 11-year career.

He missed two games late last season with a groin injury.

Smith has this year and next season remaining on his three-year, $105 million contract extension with Seattle.

Last week, Smith said 2 1/2 months before his 34th birthday: “I’ve gotten faster. I’ve gotten stronger. I put on more muscle.

“You know, you got to credit the strength staff here, my people back home (in Miami) who do a great job, and then that mindset that I’ve talked about of always wanting to get better and just trying to push yourself.”

Normally, a 12-year veteran starting quarterback missing time in early August wouldn’t impact an NFL offense all that much. But Smith and his teammates are still learning Seattle’s. The installation of the new offense continues each practice day. Grubb is putting in the system he’s brought across Lake Washington from the University of Washington to the Seahawks this offseason.

“It’s a work in progress,” Smith said last week. “Like I said, we got a long way to go.”

P.J. Walker, who started a game last season for the Cleveland Browns at Seattle, is the third quarterback on the Seahawks’ training camp roster.