Near the end of practice on the Wednesday before the Seattle Seahawks are set to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, defensive back Nick Emmanwori went down with an ankle injury. Some of his teammates came over to comfort him before he was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power. He was expected to have some imaging done on Thursday.
The injury might force some longtime Seahawks fans to recall when safety Kam Chancellor hurt his knee before the last Super Bowl the Seahawks and Patriots played. That was Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 when Seattle's defense was dealing with new injuries to Chancellor, Richard Sherman (elbow), and Earl Thomas (torn labrum).
While everyone remembers what happened at the end of that game (Russell Wilson didn't hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch at New England's 1-yard line with less than a minute left in the game), what is often forgotten was Seattle's legendary Legion of Boom was so banged up. That definitely affected how the game played out.
Video of Nick Emmanwori after practice might be a positive for the Seattle Seahawks
The same might happen with Emmanwori. While Chancellor and Emmanwori play different styles of football, both had or have positional flexibility that allows the defense to align in many different ways. Both were or are great against the run and the pass. Them being on the field allowed teammates to be able to focus on other things.
Here is the potentially good news: A video clip shared on X/Twitter shows Emmanwori getting back to the team hotel after Wednesday's practice, getting out of an SUV, and walking into the lobby without a walking boot. This would imply no break and maybe no severe sprain.
Ankle injuries can be extremely tricky, though. The rookie might have felt great initial pain and not been able to run immediately after the injury, but he could be fine on Thursday. Even if that happens, he might feel more pain on Friday.
One might guess that the defensive back will miss Thursday's practice and maybe Friday's, too. If the imaging does show a tear or break, the narrative changes, of course. That would mean he will miss the game.
What is certain is that Nick Emmanwori will do everything he can to play for the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. He needs his speed to excel, though, so putting him on the field where he is diminished would be a mistake.
Update: Mike Macdonald and Nick Emmanwori both said on Thursday afternoon that the rookie should be able to play in the Super Bowl.