SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Seattle Seahawks appear to have avoided a major injury scare to rookie chess piece Nick Emmanwori.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said on Thursday that he "fully" expects Emmanwori to play on Sunday in Super Bowl LX after the first-year defensive back hurt his ankle during Wednesday's practice.
"He just rolled his ankle yesterday, and he's got a low ankle sprain," Macdonald said. "He's gonna do the walkthrough today. We're not sure how extensive, if it all, he's gonna practice, but he's confident. Got a great plan, fully expect him to play. ...
"Right where we want to be. But he's doing great and moving around. Just got to make sure we handle it and handle it the right way. We're probably gonna be overcareful and overcautious at this point to make sure we're rolling going into the weekend."
The dynamic rookie walked off the field under his own power, per Wednesday's pool report, and was listed as as limited participant in practice. On Thursday, Emmanwori did not practice.
Emmanwori described rolling his ankle as a "little mishap that happened" and said it was a "super relief" that he avoided a major injury.
"I expect to play on Sunday," Emmanwori told reporters on Thursday. "Feel good. Training staff's got a good plan for me. Everything good. Just making sure I'm just rehabbing good."
After a slow start to the season, which included three missed games due to a high-ankle sprain, Emmanwori has become a force multiplier in Macdonald's defense. His ability to line up all over the formation allows the Seahawks to disguise their coverages and pressures.
Teammates glowed about Emmanwori's growth and dynamic ability this week, calling him an “X-factor” heading into Sunday's game against New England.
The question now is to what extent his play will be hampered by the ankle injury -- the same ankle he hurt earlier in the season but not considered nearly as severe. Emmanwori said, given how he feels now, he doesn't expect his snaps to be curtailed.
"Once I'm out there, my adrenaline will be pumping," he said. "It's the last game of the season, so I'll be good to go."
If Emmanwori isn't able to go full-bore in Super Bowl LX, it would be a massive blow to Seattle's No. 1-ranked defense. In two playoff games, he has generated eight tackles, four passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
The rookie's ability to cover the slot, line up in the box to stuff the run, pressure on blitzes, and even line up at D-tackle to disguise the defense makes him a vital piece of the puzzle. Per Next Gen Stats, 15.1 percent of Emmanwori's snaps in the 2025 playoffs have come at the line of scrimmage, the third-highest pct among defensive backs (minimum five snaps).
During the regular season, Emmanwori played 51.0 percent of his snaps in the box, just one of two DBs to align in the box at more than a 45 percent rate (Kyle Hamilton). He joined Derwin James as one of two players to align at edge rusher on at least 10 percent of snaps and slot corner for a minimum of 30 percent of snaps in 2025 (minimum 500 snaps).
If the rookie's snaps are curtailed at all, backup Ty Okada, who started 11 games in 2025, would see more reps.
How the playtime works out on Sunday will be an in-game situation for Macdonald to deal with. The good news, three days before the biggest game of his career, is that the rookie will be in the lineup.
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