Seattle Seahawks rule out Ty Okada for Patriots game, Nick Emmanwori, Tory Horton questionable

The Seattle Seahawks ruled out safety Ty Okada for their regular season opener against the New England Patriots, and safety Nick Emmanwori and wide receiver Tory Horton are questionable to play.

Okada did not practice all week for Seattle due to a hamstring injury. It's unclear exactly when Okada suffered the injury as reporters have not been able to watch all of the team's practices since the second preseason game in Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Emmanwori also appeared unlikely to play as he's been listed as questionable by the team. Emmanwori was limited all week in practice and has yet to participate fully since having surgery on his ankle just prior to training camp in late July.

If Okada and Emmanwori are both out, it leaves Julian Love as the only healthy safety currently on the team's 53-man active roster.

Dig deeper:

Okada appeared in 17 games for the Seahawks last season and made 11 starts as Love and Coby Bryant each missed time with injuries. He had 65 tackles with an interception, fumble recovery, six passes defended and 1.5 sacks last year for Seattle. But with Bryant signing with the Chicago Bears this offseason, Okada assumed the second starting safety role in Mike Macdonald's defense.

Now they won't have him for the Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots on Wednesday night.

Emmanwori's availability also seems unlikely. He's about six weeks removed from surgery on his right ankle from an injury sustained in practice during the week of the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. He participated in offseason work, but the injury was still limiting him when he reported from training camp and the decision was made to have surgery to fix the issue.

The extra 11 days to Seattle's next game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 could be worthwhile to get Emmanwori up to full speed.

Even though they carry the same position title, Okada and Emmanwori are vastly different players with different roles in Seattle's defense.

Okada's a split-safety defender that is best in zone coverage. Emmanwori is a jack-of-all-trades that plays closer to the line of scrimmage and has lined up at linebacker and edge rusher in addition to his snaps as a nickel defender.

Horton, like Emmanwori, was limited in practice throughout the week as he works back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him the last couple of weeks of the preseason.

What's next:

The Seahawks will need to add reinforcement to the game day roster as Love remains the only healthy safety on the team. Roster moves can be made up until 1 p.m. PT.

Rodney Thomas II is the likely replacement for Okada in the starting lineup for Seattle. 

"Rodney had a great offseason," head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday. "We’re really excited to be able to acquire him in the offseason. He has a lot of range, ball skills, physicality. I thought he played really well in the games when he was out there. He’s practiced great."

Related: Safety Rodney Thomas II could see big role for Seattle Seahawks against Patriots

Thomas, 28, has appeared in 68 games for the Colts in four seasons, making 26 starts in their secondary. He signed with Seattle this offseason and spent most of training camp playing alongside A.J. Finley and rookie Bud Clark (prior to his season-ending broken leg in Tennessee) on their second-team unit.

If Okada's hamstring injury is significant enough, he could be placed on injured reserve to open up a roster spot for Thomas to be signed from the practice squad.

NFL teams can elevate two practice squad players for game days while they remain on the practice squad. If Seattle believes they only need two safeties from the practice squad for depth concerns, they could go that route. Otherwise, adding a player to the 53-man roster from the practice squad will become necessary as a player will need to be taken from the roster to open a spot.

A.J. Finley, D'Anthony Bell and Maxen Hook are additional safety options on the practice squad that could be in the plans for Wednesday night.

Dig deeper:

Additionally, the Seahawks might need more depth at cornerback as well.

Avery Smith is still getting up to speed with the team after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Chargers during roster cutdowns. Third-round pick Julian Neal missed most of training camp due to a quadriceps injury that has put him behind schedule as well. Neal is healthy and available to play, but the team may think he needs more practice time to feel confident in him being active.

Trevon Diggs and rookies Michael Dansby and Andre Fuller Jr. would be options to help out at cornerback on the practice squad.

With two elevations from the practice squad, the team will need to declare seven players inactive for the game. Okada, Emmanwori, quarterback Jalen Milroe (third QB), offensive linemen Bryce Cabeldue and Beau Stephens, Horton (if out), and Smith, Neal, linebacker Patrick O'Connell or nose tackle Brandon Pili could be the players under consideration for being inactive. 

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