Promising Seattle Seahawks Rookie Set To Return; Others Did Not Practice

The Seattle Seahawks’ injury report is in, and there’s some great news and some worrying news. Coming off their Thursday Night win against division rival Cardinals gave them extra time to rest before they face the Bucs on Sunday, their biggest challenge of the year since the loss to the 49ers.

Seahawks’ Promising Rookie Is Likely To Return

The Seahawks drafted South Carolina Gamecocks Safety Nick Emmanwori with the 35th pick. The North Carolinian was a 1st-team All-American in 2024 and helped lead South Carolina to its best record in years, with the Gamecocks being ranked No. 14 before their bowl game loss to Illinois. They finished  9-4, which was their best record since 2017. He played a large part in that with his 88 combined tackles and 4 interceptions.

Emmanwori has shown promise since his freshman year, with him making the SEC All-Freshman team behind his 85 combined tackles. He also had a successful NFL Combine with a 4.38 40-yard dash. With NFL Next Gen Stats having rated him No. 1 in production score, athleticism score, and total score. He was a draft pick Seahawks fans were excited for, so they were even more disheartened to see his NFL debut cut short.

He looks like he will play in the team’s upcoming game at home vs. Tampa Bay. He couldn’t be returning at a better time for the Seahawks because they’ll need all hands on deck going up against the elite Baker Mayfield. Although the Seahawks might not have all hands on deck in the secondary.

The Seahawks Starters That Could Be Out

Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love, and DeMarcus Lawrence all sat out. For Lawrence, it’s day-to-day after his injury against the Cardinals. Love and Witherspoon are two players who would be very important to stopping the Bucs’ infamous passing attack. They have all missed time this season.

Witherspoon is out with a knee injury, Love is currently dealing with a very serious hamstring injury, and Lawrence is dealing with a quadriceps injury. Reserve tackle Josh Jones was another DNP with an ankle injury he suffered when playing against the Saints.

Tampa Bay’s Injury Issues

Both the Buccaneers and Seahawks have released their injury reports for the week, and the “12th Man” should be happy to know that the Hawks are winning that battle. The Seahawks have six players on their injured list while the Bucs have 16 players on theirs. And in terms of impact players as well, not to downplay Witherspoon, Lawrence, etc., but the Bucs have some heavy hitters on theirs. Baker Mayfield was DNP with a knee and right bicep issue, Mike Evans was DNP with his hamstring problem, and Bucky Irving is DNP with foot and shoulder issues.

Chris Godwin also has an injured ankle, but he was seen practicing. Football is a battle of attrition first and foremost, so most players are not playing at 100%. With the Seahawks having so many more players healthy, it will give them the advantage heading into Sunday.