Seattle Seahawks could be shorthanded at safety in opener against Patriots
Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori goes through pre-practice warmups at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Wash. on September 5, 2026. (Curtis Crabtree / FOX 13 Seattle)
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks could be entering their regular season opener against the New England Patriots quite shorthanded at safety as Ty Okada and Nick Emmanwori were both on the first injury report of the year.
Okada did not participate in practice on Sunday afternoon, and Emmanwori was officially listed as limited as he works his way back from preseason ankle surgery. With Julian Love the only other safety on the team's 53-man roster, the Seahawks could be calling up multiple practice squad options for depth against the Patriots.
The backstory:
When the Seahawks made their necessary transactions to set their roster at the 53-man regular season maximum last week, they elected to keep just three safeties on their active roster in Love, Okada and Emmanwori. Two of those three players are now on the injury report and appear at least questionable to play in the regular season opener.
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV gave the clearest indication yet that Emmanwori might not be ready to play in Week 1.
"He is definitely a big part of our defense and we can’t wait to get him back," Jones said. "For right now, we are focused on who’s out there and who’s available right now. We know that when his time comes, he’s an alien. He can do whatever."
Emmanwori's status had been reasonably well known at this point. He's been back to practice in some fashion for a short time, but it's been just about six weeks since he had surgery on his ankle. If he's still not practicing at full capacity at this stage, it would seem to be a stretch to believe he'll be playing on Wednesday night.
Okada's possible unavailability is a bit more surprising. The Seahawks did not have to put out injury reports prior to Sunday, and reporters haven't been able to watch the entirety of the team's practices since prior to the final preseason game in Kansas City. Precisely how long Okada has been dealing with his hamstring issue, and the severity of the injury, remain unclear.
If neither Okada nor Emmanwori are able to play, the Seahawks will need reinforcements at the position from the practice squad.
Rodney Thomas II, A.J. Finley, D'Anthony Bell and Maxen Hook are the four safeties currently on the practice squad for Seattle. Finley and Bell have appeared in games with Seattle before, while Thomas has appeared in 68 career games with the Indianapolis Colts.
"They breathe confidence into us as coaches, play callers, head coaches, on our team," defensive coordinator Aden Durde said. "Everyone sees the work they are putting in and they're ready to take the opportunity that arises when it comes up."
Thomas would almost certainly be the first safety elevated for additional help.
"You see his athleticism in space, his ability to play basically red line to red line on those deep balls. He's made huge strides in his ability to play down on the second level and I'm excited to see him play," Durde said of Thomas.
Bell has played Emmanwori's role in the defense at times during training camp and can do multiple things, if needed.
"(He's) got so much versatility, and it allows us to do things and put him in spaces at times, and he can do multiple jobs," Durde said. "It's not like he's a jack of all trades, master of none, no. He's a good safety too, but it allows you to move him around in the box and stuff like that."
Dig deeper:
In addition to the safeties, guard Anthony Bradford (knee), wide receiver Tory Horton (hamstring), and tackle Josh Jones (knee) were limited in practice on Sunday.
Bradford has been dealing with injury since the team's trip to Tennessee in preseason. Horton has been sidelined for a couple of weeks, and Jones has had recurring knee issues during his time in Seattle.
Tight end A.J. Barner (oblique), cornerback Julian Neal (quadriceps), and running back Emanuel Wilson (hamstring) were listed as full participants.
Barner said on Saturday he's good physically.
"Feeling good," Barner said. "You always have a nick here or there, nature of the business. I feel very good. I feel very confident, mentally and physically with where I'm at and really just excited to play my brand of football for the Seahawks."
Injury Report
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The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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