Seattle’s preparations hit an uneasy moment on Wednesday. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori injured his ankle during practice just four days before the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX matchup with the New England Patriots. Interestingly, it is the Seahawks‘ only practice with pads before Sunday. It goes without saying that the injury raised concerns, and head coach Mike Macdonald had to face the questions. 

“Emmanwori had an ankle today, we brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps?” Macdonald told reporters.

Here’s what happened: the player twisted his ankle defending a pass late in practice, as per Seattle’s pool report. Information about which ankle was injured and to what extent are not known. But after the injury, Emmanwori was seen walking off the field at San Jose State University on his own. The place is roughly 8 miles away from the Super Bowl venue. He was also officially listed as limited.

The rookie safety had practiced fully throughout last week, raising questions about when the issue surfaced. Emmanwori missed three games during the 2025 season with a right ankle injury, but that came after his NFL debut in the Week 1 game. Since then, he has quickly become one of Seattle’s most important defensive pieces. In his rookie regular season, Nick Emmanwori recorded 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception. His 71.4 PFF grade also ranked 22nd among 98 qualifying safeties. 

After being picked in the second round (35th overall) by the Seahawks in the 2025 NFL Draft, Emmanwori has thrived in a hybrid role. He lined up as a nickel corner or strongside linebacker, depending on the Seahawks’ schemes this past season. In fact, during an NFL Media story published on February 4, Seahawks players even openly praised Emmanwori’s impact and flexibility.

Julian Love isn’t wrong.

In the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, Emmanwori broke up two passes that flipped momentum before halftime. He helped the Seahawks regain possession and score a go-ahead touchdown, gaining a lead that they never surrendered. In the 31-27 win, he ultimately recorded three pass breakups in what coach Macdonald later hinted may have been his best performance yet. 

Emmanwori’s overall performance this past season even earned praise from NFL legend Tom Brady, who backed him as Defensive Rookie of the Year.

“Nick Emmanwori, what an animal this guy is,” Tom Brady said earlier this week on NFL on FOX. “He’s big, he’s fast, he’s physical. He made some game-changing plays last Sunday in the championship game, covering people, knocking balls away, pass defense, tackles in the run game, aggressive in his run fits. This guy has a very bright future.”

Now the big question looms: with Emmanwori dealing with an ankle issue, will Mike Macdonald need to tweak his defensive plans this late in the week? Emmanwori’s participation or lack thereof in Thursday and Friday’s practices should offer clearer answers on his availability in the Super Bowl. But that isn’t the only health storyline hanging over Seattle. Another concern for the Seahawks still looms large with questions surrounding the availability of their quarterback, Sam Darnold. 

Mike Macdonald provides an update on Sam Darnold’s injury

Since injuring his oblique during a practice on January 15, Sam Darnold has been limited in all eight practices. Still, Macdonald suggested that there is no cause for panic with the QB, explaining that the restrictions are simply part of a longer recovery plan.

“Sam’s right on schedule,” Mike Macdonald told reporters on Wednesday. “So we’ve had this plan here over the last X amount of weeks, and it varies every day. And today he had a great day, so we’re right on schedule.”

With the Super Bowl just days away, Macdonald stopped short of detailing how much work Darnold will get during practice. But the quarterback had also entered the NFC Championship game while nursing the same oblique injury, yet nothing about his performance suggested he was limited.

Darnold recorded 346 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in that game and helped the Seahawks lift the George Halas Trophy. Now, while preparing for Super Bowl LX, Darnold revealed that he feels confident about where his body stands.

“It feels really good,” Darnold told reporters on Wednesday. “Definitely, the time off has helped a little bit. I’m always just going to take it one step at a time, do my rehab and do everything I need to do to make sure it feels great going into practice and going into the game on Sunday.”

Moreover, being limited during practice doesn’t always translate to being limited on game day, especially not on this stage in the NFL. With a matchup against the New England Patriots set for February 8 at Levi’s Stadium, it is expected that Darnold will go all out for the Seahawks.