The Seahawks have ruled out safety Earl Thomas for Sunday’s game against the Redskins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The injury may result in a multi-game absence. 
Thomas’ hamstring forced him out of action during last week’s contest against the Texans. Losing him for an extended period will hurt the Seahawks, not just because he is a defensive leader, but because he is among the league’s very best safeties. So far this season, Thomas is the No. 8 ranked safety in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He’s regularly placed in PFF’s top ten, but his 87.6 score for this year actually represents a career watermark.
For now, Thomas will be replaced in the starting lineup by Bradley McDougald. Given that he started 31 games at safety over the past two seasons with the Bucs, the Seahawks can comfortably stick with what they have in-house for the time being.
After Sunday’s game against Washington, the Seahawks have a short week before facing the Cardinals on Thursday night. If Thomas can’t make a quick recovery, he might not see the field again until Seattle’s post-bye matchup against the Falcons on Nov. 20.