Seattle's Nick Emmanwori makes promising step to play in Super Bowl rematch vs. Patriots

The Seattle Seahawks are hoping to get one of their leaders on defense, in star safety Nick Emmanwori, back in time for the Sept. 13 season opener against the New England Patriots in Week 1. The former second-round draft pick out of South Carolina was placed on the physically unable to perform list last month. 

Head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters that Emmanwori underwent ankle surgery from an injury he dealt with during his rookie season. But according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Seattle star "has a chance" to return in time for Week 1. On Wednesday, Sept. 9, Seattle opens the season at home in a rematch of last February's Super Bowl, which resulted in a 29-13 Seahawk win. On Tuesday, Seattle also reported that Emmanwori passed his physical, in an even more positive step towards his return.

Fowler added that Emmanwori is considered a "unicorn" for Seattle's defense, and that as such, he isn't exactly replaceable. During his rookie season, Emmanwori was used all over the field, at nickel, off the edge and in man-to-man coverage, as well.  He finished last season with 81 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception. He even missed Seattle's first three games due to his injury, and was on the Seahawks' injury report ahead of the Super Bowl. 

In his absence at training camp, defensive back D'Anthony Bell will be filling the gap left by Emmanwori in the meantime, per Fowler. Seattle is also reportedly trying to use rookie safety Bud Clark and cornerback Julian Neal at the nickel spot. 

"So, with Nick's situation, it's the ankle from the Super Bowl,"  Macdonald said via the Seahawks. "I think the best way to describe it is something that he's been dealing with since the Super Bowl, he was able to perform, like able to train, do some things in the offseason program, but just got to the point where it was the best for him for the long term, just to go ahead and get it fixed. And so that's what we all decided to do. It's really the best thing for him, for now and the foreseeable future, for the rest of his career."

In the first episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks" Emmanwori was seen discussing his injury rehab with his head coach. In his message, his coach encouraged him to not focus on the outside noise and just focus on getting healthy. 

Emmanwori impressed even those outside of his own locker room after his rookie season. A recent poll with NFL coaches, execs and scouts had him ranked as the No. 6 overall best safety across all 32 teams.  He played in 15 games for Seattle last season with 11 starts, helping the Seahawks defense bring a Super Bowl to the franchise for the first time since 2014. 

Against the Patriots, Emmanwori notched five total tackles, including four solo stops. Seattle held New England to just 79 rush yards and forced three Patriot turnovers. 

Wednesday's game is set for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff, as the rematch will air live on NBC. Whether or not Emmanwori continues to trend toward being on the field in Week 1 will be a storyline to keep an eye on as Seattle continues with training camp over the next few weeks.

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