Nick Emmanwori passed his physical Tuesday, clearing the hurdle that kept Seattle’s do-everything safety off the field since training camp opened.
The Seahawks announced the clearance on Aug. 11, ending an absence that stretched back to Emmanwori’s placement on the physically unable to perform list at the outset of training camp. With Seattle’s Super Bowl LX rematch against the New England Patriots looming on Sept. 9, the timing could hardly be better for a defense that leaned on him at every level a year ago.
Whether Emmanwori participates in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys appears unlikely, however.
Emmanwori’s Ankle Issue Traces Back To Super Bowl
Emmanwori started training camp on the PUP list following arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, a procedure the Seahawks and safety agreed on after he battled soreness through organized team activities and minicamp. The joint had been compromised since a low ankle sprain he suffered days before Super Bowl LX while defending a pass, an injury he played through on the way to Seattle’s NFL championship.
“So, with Nick’s situation, it’s the ankle from the Super Bowl,” head coach Mike Macdonald said, explaining that Emmanwori trained through it during the offseason program before the sides decided a cleanup was the smarter long-term move, according to Seahawks.com‘s Ari Horton. Macdonald declined to attach a firm timetable to the recovery but downplayed any long-term concern, per the team website.
The ankle wasn’t Emmanwori’s only injury scare in 2025. He suffered a high ankle sprain on the opposite leg just a few snaps into Seattle’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, an injury that cost him three games before he returned to anchor the secondary for the rest of the championship run.
Because Emmanwori was on the PUP list during training camp, he could have returned to practice at any point. Had he still been sidelined at the Aug. 30 roster cutdown, though, Seattle would have been forced to hold him out a minimum of four regular-season games. Passing Tuesday’s physical removes that possible outcome.
Nick Emmanwori’s Rookie Season Set A High Bar
Seattle traded second- and third-round selections to the Tennessee Titans to move up and grab Emmanwori 35th overall out of South Carolina in the 2025 draft, a bet on a safety who tested as one of the most explosive athletes at the combine.
Emmanwori started 11 of the 14 regular-season games he played and all three playoff contests during Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning run, finishing with 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed and an interception, splitting time between deep safety, the box and the slot for Macdonald’s scheme. Emmanwori finished as the runner-up for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
His signature moment came in Atlanta on Dec. 7, when he became the first player in franchise history to record a sack, block a field goal and haul in an interception in the same game, a feat unmatched anywhere in the league since 2010, according to Seattle’s team website.
Born Feb. 7, 2004, in Greensboro, North Carolina, and raised in Irmo, South Carolina, Emmanwori was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and left South Carolina after 2024 as a First-Team All-American, racking up 244 career tackles across 37 games, according to South Carolina’s athletic department.
He wears No. 3, already owns a Super Bowl ring at age 22, and is entering his second year as one of the more valuable pieces on Macdonald’s roster.
Seahawks Announce Encouraging Nick Emmanwori Update Before Preseason Opener