The Seattle Seahawks need to get healthy. Sure, the team survived Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that team also has former Seattle offensive coordinator Shane Waldron as part of its coaching staff. That is going to hold back any team.
But expecting the Seahawks to keep trying to succeed with so many fantastic defensive players missing games is expecting too much. The team was exposed in Week 5 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They could be by the Houston Texans in Week 7, too.
Thankfully, one player recently returned from being hurt, and he was terrific in Week 6. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, whom the Seahawks moved up in the second round to select in the 2025 NFL draft after Emmanwori slipped to round two, was everything the team hoped he would be when they chose him.
Nick Emmanwori is proving to be worth a second-round pick for the Seattle Seahawks
The rookie was in on nine tackles and whiffed on just one. While he allowed seven completions on eight pass targets (and the coverage scheme will continue to be something that Emmanwori needs to work on), those completions only amounted to 31 yards.
More impressively, he crunched down on the offensive line and had five run stuffs. Emmanwori also had two quarterback hurries. The Jaguars were forced to account for him, and he is still just finding his footing in the NFL.
In two full games and four snaps of another, Nick Emmanwori has missed just one tackle and been elite at stopping the run. While not yet applying the quarterback pressure that he probably will as he gets more experience, he has reminded many of Jamal Adams in his prime when it comes to helping stuff running backs.
The plan entering the season was for Julian Love and Coby Bryant to start at safety, while Emmanwori filled more of a third role. Instead, Love has missed the last two games, and the rookie has picked up a lot of his reps.
The hope is that once Love returns, Emmanwori will be more acclimated to what Mike Macdonald needs from his defense, and the rookie can be used to help disguise alignments. In other words, Emmanwori is still going to be going to get a lot of reps, but could be even more effective in the scheme. Therefore, the entire defense should be better.
One question, however, is what happens next offseason. Coby Bryant is a free agent. The Seattle Seahawks reportedly already tried to work out a deal with him, but couldn't get it done. In 2026, the safety duo might be Love and Emmanwori, and Bryant could be playing for another team.