Nick Emmanwori injury: Seahawks rookie hurts ankle in practice, says he'll be 'good to go' in Super Bowl
Emmanwori hurt his ankle during Wednesday's practice but is confident he'll be good to go
The Seattle Seahawks appear to have avoided a significant setback days before they face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Nick Emmanwori, Seattle's standout rookie safety, was limited during Wednesday's practice after suffering a low ankle sprain.
Despite the injury, Emmanwori said that he expects to play on Sunday.
"Feel good," he said during Thursday's media availability. "Training staff has a good plan for me. ... I'll be good to go."
Emmanwori rolled the ankle while defending a pass during Wednesday's practice. He walked off the field under his own power while being comforted by teammates and coaches, according to a pool report from the Pro Football Writers of America.
"He had an ankle, we brought him in to look at it, and we'll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday per the pool reporter on hand.
Macdonald said Thursday he "fully expects" Emmanwori to play, but the team is going to treat the situation cautiously.
One of the NFL's top-performing rookies this season, Emmanwori has played a key role in Seattle getting to its third Super Bowl and first since the 2014 season. The 35th overall pick in last year's draft, Emmanwori started in 11 of Seattle's 14 regular season games. He tallied 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception and broke up 11 passes while helping the Seahawks boast the NFL's top-ranked scoring defense.
Emmanwori recovered a fumble during Seattle's blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round and broke up three passes during the Seahawks' win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game.
While Seattle has an experienced backup in safety Ty Okada, Emmanwori's versatility makes him a valuable commodity in Seattle's defense.
Four other Seahawks were limited in practice on Wednesday, including quarterback Sam Darnold, who has been nursing an oblique injury he suffered in practice on Jan. 15. Darnold has been limited in each practice since injuring the oblique, and Macdonald said his quarterback is "right on schedule."
"We've had this plan here over the last X amount of weeks, and it varies every day," Macdonald told the PFWA pool reporter. "And today he had a great day, so we're right on schedule."
