Seahawks Rookie Nick Emmanwori Confirms His Status for Super Bowl

The Seattle Seahawks had a scare at practice this week when one of their key defenders suffered an ankle injury. While breaking up a pass near the end of practice on Wednesday, rookie Nick Emmanwori rolled his ankle. He was later seen walking with a slight limp, which put his status for Super Bowl LX in doubt.

On Thursday, head coach Mike Macdonald attempted to put everyone at ease, saying it's a low ankle sprain for Emmanwori, but added that they had a plan. He even said the rookie fully intends to play in the big game.

MORE: 3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl Rematch

Now, Emmanwori has confirmed as much. When asked if he was good for the weekend, Emmanwori told reporters that he was caught off guard, but will be good to go.

"Yeah, it was just towards the end of practice, I just rolled my ankle, kind of like caught me off guard. Practice wasn't like nothing crazy or nothing. We weren't going hard out there, but just rolled it. And I'll be good to go for Sunday, so I'm looking forward to that." Emmanwori said.

Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori reacts after a fumble recovery against the San Francisco 49ers. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

When asked if it was as bad as an ankle injury from early in the season that forced him to miss three games, Emmanwori said it's not as severe. Instead, he claims this one was just a scare.

MORE: Super Bowl LX: 4 Fun Prop Bets for Seahawks vs. Patriots

"Yeah, it just kind of caught me off guard a little bit. Nobody really wants to get hurt or banged up during the Super Bowl week or any week at that. So it just kind of caught me off guard, just a little scared."

Do-it-all rookie Nick Emmanwori says he got “a scare” when he turned his ankle in practice yesterday—but that yes, he’s going to play in the #Seahawks’ Super Bowl on Sunday. @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/KROHxLN8JT
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) February 5, 2026

A second-round pick out of South Carolina, Emmanwori had 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 11 pass deflections, and one interception in 14 games. He's added four pass deflections and a fumble recovery in Seattle's two playoff games.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound safety turns 22 on Feb. 7, the day before Super Bowl LX. He's already proven to be a game changer and at his age, he's only scratching the surface of his potential.

More Seahawks on SI stories