The Seattle Seahawks were able to make a run to a Super Bowl title last season partly because the team had better health at some key spots. Right tackle Abraham Lucas had missed a lot of 2023 and 2024, for instance, but played every game last year.
To win a championship, nearly every team needs to get lucky with players not getting injured. Entering the 2026 season, though, Seattle hasn't been fortunate. Some of that stems from late last year, when running back Zach Charbonnet hurt his knee, which affected his availability for the start of this season.
Nick Emmanwori hurt his ankle in 2025 and had to wait until this July to have surgery. He might not miss the first few games, but he will likely be out in Week 1. He is listed as questionable. Safety Ty Okada, who is dealing with a hamstring issue, is definitely out.
Seattle Seahawks' final injury report for Week 1 vs. the New England Patriots doesn't look very good
In other words, the safety group will likely be a mess, and that isn't helped by second-round selection Bud Clark breaking his ankle in the preseason, forcing him to miss the entire season. The Seahawks are left with Julian Love, who is very good at his job, and then some players who didn't make the initial roster and landed on the practice squad.
For one game, maybe Seattle can survive. Head coach Mike Macdonald is a brilliant defensive coach, of course, and his scheme should elevate the unit, but losing Emmanwori would be painful. The second-year player allows Macdonald to disguise his alignments, as Emmanwori can play safety, cornerback, or wherever else Macdonald needs him to.
Okada emerged last year as a good run-stopper and was also solid in coverage. He played because Love missed a bunch of time with a hamstring injury. At the time, Seattle still had Coby Bryant, but he left in free agency to sign with the Chicago Bears.
This is how the injury report shapes up as the Seattle Seahawks prepare to play the New England Patriots in Week 1:
Player | Position | Injury | Week 1 status |
|---|---|---|---|
Nick Emmanwori | Defensive back | Ankle | Questionable |
Ty Okada | Safety | Hamstring | Out |
Tory Horton | Wide receiver | Hamstring | Questionable |
One positive piece of the injury updates is that tight end AJ Barner will play. He was expected to play after being a full participant in recent practices. Barner could be in for a huge 2026 season after being terrific in 2025. New offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is likely to use his tight ends a bit more in the passing game, and that should translate to Barner and Elijah Arroyo getting many more targets.
Add us as a preferred source on Google