Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori appears to have taken his biggest step yet toward returning from ankle surgery, hitting the practice field in pads Sunday with the team’s season opener only three days away.
Officially, the Seahawks listed him as a limited participant in practice on the NFL’s injury report.
Multiple Seahawks reporters posted videos from the Sept. 6 practice showing Emmanwori running onto the field in his helmet and shoulder pads, with teammate Uchenna Nwosu drawing attention to his arrival.
“Nick Emmanwori takes the field in his pads,” Nemhauser wrote. “Uchenna Nwosu makes sure we all see who’s back.”
The timing could hardly be better for Seattle. The Seahawks host the New England Patriots at Lumen Field on Wednesday, Sept. 9, opening their Super Bowl title defense with a rematch of their 29-13 victory over New England in Super Bowl LX.
Emmanwori’s participation in pads does not guarantee he will play Wednesday, and Seattle had not announced his game status as of Sunday afternoon. But it represents another encouraging milestone after a summer spent working back from surgery.
Ernest Jones IV Says Seahawks Can Do ‘Multiple Things’ With Nick Emmanwori
Only hours before Emmanwori appeared at practice, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV made clear just how much Seattle values having the second-year defender available.
Asked what a healthy Emmanwori brings to the defense, Jones pointed first to his versatility.
“We can do multiple things,” Jones told reporters. “You can, you know, put him in certain positions to dictate certain reps and how you want certain things to go.”
Jones then emphasized Emmanwori’s importance to the entire unit.
“He’s definitely a big part of our defense, and when we get him back, we can’t wait to get him back,” Jones said.
And when asked about Emmanwori’s ceiling, Jones added, “We know that when his time comes, he’s an alien. He can do whatever.”
Those comments fit with how Seattle used Emmanwori during his rookie season.
Though officially listed as a safety, Emmanwori spent much of 2025 as a movable piece in Mike Macdonald’s defense. Seattle deployed him in the slot, around the line of scrimmage, as an off-ball linebacker, as a pass rusher and occasionally as a more traditional deep safety.
That flexibility allowed the Seahawks to adjust to opposing personnel without necessarily substituting, one reason Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon became such valuable pieces of Macdonald’s scheme.
Emmanwori finished his rookie season with 81 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed and an interception despite missing most of Seattle’s first four games. He made the PFWA All-Rookie Team and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Emmanwori Has Been Working Back From July Ankle Surgery
Emmanwori’s current ankle issue traces back to the week of the Super Bowl.
He suffered a low ankle sprain in practice four days before Super Bowl LX but was able to play through the injury against New England. After participating in Seattle’s offseason program, the Seahawks ultimately decided surgery was the best long-term option.
Emmanwori underwent arthroscopic surgery in July and opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Coach Mike Macdonald said at the start of camp that the procedure was intended to address an issue Emmanwori had been dealing with since the Super Bowl and improve his long-term outlook.
The Seahawks announced Aug. 11 that Emmanwori had passed his physical. At that stage, however, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reported that Emmanwori was doing individual work in a T-shirt and shorts while his teammates practiced in full pads.
Sunday’s sighting therefore represents a substantially different point in the recovery process.
The remaining question is whether Emmanwori has progressed far enough to face the same Patriots team he helped Seattle beat seven months ago.
Jones made it clear what Seattle gains whenever that return happens.
With Emmanwori available, the Seahawks don’t simply get another safety back. They regain one of the pieces that allows Macdonald to make his defense look different from snap to snap — exactly the kind of flexibility Seattle would like to have available when its title defense begins Wednesday night.
Seahawks Get Great Nick Emmanwori Injury Update Just Days Before Patriots Rematch