Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori has ankle surgery, expected back for Week 1
The second-year safety had an arthroscopic procedure on the right ankle that bothered him all rookie season. Seattle placed him on the PUP list to start camp, but the champs expect him on the field for the opener against New England.
Nick Emmanwori underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle earlier this month, and the Seahawks placed him on the physically unable to perform list Monday. Per ESPN's reporting, he is expected to miss some time in training camp but be ready for Week 1, when Seattle opens its title defense against New England on September 9.
What happened to Nick Emmanwori's ankle?
This is the same right ankle that gave him trouble all of last season, twice. Nick Emmanwori suffered a high sprain on opening day as a rookie and missed four games. Then, four days before Super Bowl LX, he picked up a low sprain in the same ankle and played through it anyway. The arthroscopic procedure earlier this month was not a surprise inside the building. The Seahawks knew before camp that surgery might eventually be needed, and the timing suggests they chose to get it done with the longest possible runway before the opener.
Will he actually be ready for Week 1?
That is the expectation, according to ESPN's sources, who say Emmanwori will miss some time in camp but be ready by Week 1. The math is workable. Seattle holds its first camp practice Saturday, and the opener against New England is September 9, roughly seven weeks out. An arthroscopic cleanup is a far cry from a reconstruction, and the PUP designation gives the team flexibility, since he can be activated at any point once he passes a physical. The real question is how much of camp he loses, not whether the season opener is in danger.
How big a piece is he for the champs?
Bigger than the third-safety label implies. Emmanwori, a second-round pick in 2025, finished second in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after posting 11 passes defended, 2.5 sacks, and an interception in 14 regular-season games for the league's top scoring defense. He did all of that on a compromised ankle. Seattle has spent the offseason locking in its young defensive core, extending Devon Witherspoon and Derick Hall, and a fully healthy Emmanwori fits squarely in that group. If the cleanup finally puts the ankle behind him, the Super Bowl LX champions may get a better version of him in year two.
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Sources
- ESPN: Seahawks' Nick Emmanwori has ankle surgery, expected to play W1
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