The important part for Seattle Seahawks fans to remember before the team takes on the New England Patriots to begin the 2026 season is that whatever happens in Week 1 should not be a real indication of what will happen for the rest of the season. After all, Seattle lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 last year and ended up winning the Super Bowl.
Arguably, the Seahawks have a slightly thinner roster in 2026, however. At least one is a bit more unproven. Key starters such as Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant, and Riq Woolen all left in free agency. Their absence means those players expected to pick up their slack need to be good and healthy.
Seattle has already struggled with some players getting hurt, though. Wide receiver Jake Bobo was great on special teams, but will miss the season with a knee injury. Rookie Bud Clark, expected to help offset the loss of Bryant, hurt his ankle and will miss the season, too. Even defensive back Nick Emmanwori is struggling with getting back to full health after having ankle surgery in July.
Seattle Seahawks release initial injury report ahead of Week 1 versus the New England Patriots
Without Emmanwori, head coach Mike Macdonald loses a tiny bit of his creativity, as Emmanwori can line up at various spots. That helps disguise the alignments, forcing opposing offenses to guess at what's coming.
Emmanwori wasn't placed on the physically unable to perform list when final roster cuts were made, though. This implied the team thinks it should have the young player back sooner rather than later. But what is his current status for Week 1 based on the Seahawks' initial injury report for the first game of the season?
Player | Injury | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AJ Barner | Oblique | Full | ||
Anthony Bradford | Knee | Limited | ||
Nick Emmanwori | Ankle | Limited | ||
Tory Horton | Hamstring | Limited | ||
Josh Jones | Knee | Limited | ||
Julian Neal | Quadricep | Full | ||
Ty Okada | Hamstring | DNP | ||
Emanuel Wilson | Hamstring | Full |
Seattle signed veteran safety D'Anthony Bell to the practice squad on Saturday, and he spent most of last season with the Seattle Seahawks and training camp this year. If Emmanwori can't play or is limited, at least the team knows what to expect from Bell, and Bell knows Macdonald's system.
The list above will be updated as the week progresses. Clearly, the week is different than normal since the game will be played on Wednesday, September 9, at Lumen Field. The team's final injury report will come a day before the game, and that usually happens two days before. Plus, let's just hope no more injuries happen during the game that could affect the entire season.
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