Nick Emmanwori rounding into form for Seattle Seahawks

RENTON, Wash. - Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori is looking to make a bigger impact as he returns to full form after preseason ankle surgery.

"It feels good," Emmanwori said on Wednesday. "Super excited to get back out there. Feel free, feeling fast. Missed a lot of time, but I was staying connected through the mind and through my teammates. It feels good to get back out there and show everybody that I still got it."

Emmanwori was initially injured during practice the week of the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif. The injury was very concerning initially as Emmanwori and the Seahawks wondered whether he would be able to play against the New England Patriots. However, he managed to play and contribute to bringing a second Lombardi Trophy back to Seattle in a 29-13 win.

"My mindset was it wouldn’t have felt complete for me to work my way all the way up through the season, all the playoff games, just not to play in the Super Bowl," Emmanwori said. "Last game of the season. It was a no-brainer for me to go out there. It was worth it. Everything that came with it, Super Bowl champions, great season.  Ended it off right. I knew I wouldn’t have slept great if I didn’t play in that game. It would’ve been eating at me. I had to do it; that’s the type of dude I am. It was worth it, it was great."

It didn't appear as though the injury would be a concern beyond the Super Bowl itself. Emmanwori took part in most of the team's offseason program, including a mandatory mini-camp to wrap up offseason work in June. But when Emmanwori was reporting to the team for training camp in late July, the decision was made to take care of the ankle now instead of trying to push through during the season.

"It was a gut feeling," Emmanwori said. "Everything was feeling good at OTAs, but it was different doctor opinions and stuff, trying to figure what was the best thing to do. Ultimately, the thought process was go ahead and get it done with (and) over with. I didn’t want to be in Week 8, Week 9 or something, and it’s still bugging me and I can’t be out there in the middle of the season. That would definitely make things weird for the team and everybody.

"The best way I can explain it was, some days, I felt 100 percent to go, and then some other days, I was 75-85 percent. … I want to say it wasn’t limiting me. It was a bit of both as far as if I turned at the wrong time. It was weird mechanisms and weird movements would cause it to flare up. It was something that had to get taken care of. Some doctors’ opinions were saying, ‘Maybe you didn’t need it. Maybe you did.’ It was a 50-50 of whether, when or if we should do it."

Emmanwori was activated from the physically unable to perform list on August 11, but didn't work back into practice until late in the month. He was held out of the team's season opener against the Patriots before getting nine snaps of work against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. That number climbed to 36 snaps in the team's 33-31 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

"I thought Nick had a good game," head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday. "There were some really great plays, and he'll continue to get better. I think he should be really proud of how he approached last week mentally."

Injury Updates

Safety Julian Love returned to limited participation in practice on Wednesday after missing last Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders with a calf injury. Love showed up on the injury report last Thursday as head coach Mike Macdonald said that his calf had tightened up on him in practice.

Love was off to a tremendous start to the season this year for Seattle, hauling in an interception in each of the team's first two games. However, the calf issue was enough to keep him out of the lineup as A.J. Finley made his first career start alongside Rodney Thomas II in Love's place.

Love missed nine games last season due to injury, which was the first season of his career in which he has been significantly impacted by injuries. The calf issue at least appears far less consequential at the moment.

– Safety Ty Okada still is not practicing for Seattle as he appears destined to miss the first four games of the season due to a hamstring strain. Precisely when Okada was injured isn't clear, but he has not practiced once since injury reporting became mandatory on September 6 with the start of the regular season.

Some fans may wonder if Seattle made a mistake not putting Okada on injured reserve now that he's set to miss a fourth game. However, teams are only allowed to have eight players return from injured reserve over the course of the season, with two more possible throughout the playoffs. The Seahawks have not been in any significant roster bind due to injuries so far this year to where having an extra roster spot available was pressing. And with wide receiver Irv Charles already one of the eight designated to return, Seattle has just seven more spots for the remainder of the season. 

The Seahawks did lose guard Bryce Cabeldue on waivers to the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month when Finley was promoted from the practice squad. Theoretically, Okada's placement on the injured list could have prevented Cabeldue from being exposed to waivers. The Seahawks clearly knew that risk and believed keeping Okada on the active roster was more prudent.

– Macdonald said that it was possible the team would open the 21-day practice window for running back Zach Charbonnet on Thursday. Charbonnet has been on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from surgery to repair an ACL tear in February.

There typically wouldn't be a reason to activate a practice window mid-week, but the Seahawks' upcoming Thursday night game against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 15 effectively wipes out a normal practice week altogether. There is little doubt Charbonnet will return to the active roster this season, it's just a matter of timing.

– Love, running back Jadarian Price (chest), guard Grey Zabel (groin), running back George Holani (rib) and defensive tackle Jarran Reed (foot) were also limited in Wednesday's practice. Defensive end Leonard Williams was limited to rest.

Roster Moves

The Seahawks signed linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo to their practice squad, and saw a one-week roster exemption for wide receiver Malick Meiga expire.

To open roster spots, the Seahawks released safety D'Anthony Bell and wide receiver Julian Hicks from the practice squad.

Bell's place with the Seahawks appeared questionable when the team elected to elevate second-year pro Maxen Hook as a backup to A.J. Finley and Rodney Thomas II for Sunday's game in Washington. Bell played in 14 games for Seattle last season with a pair of starts when Nick Emmanwori was out with an ankle injury.

"It’s just how we handle the (70-man roster)," Macdonald said. "There are more than 70 guys that we’re monitoring, moving and shaking and things that we’re doing to manage our roster, but the safety position is getting healthier."

Injury Report

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