A bittersweet Nick Emmanwori update for the Seattle Seahawks

It's tough to repeat as Super Bowl champion, and the Seattle Seahawks are going to find that out during the 2026 NFL season.

It's even tougher when a team's best players are impacted by injury, but on that front, the Seahawks got some good news.

It feels a bit confusing, though.

Seahawks' Nick Emmanwori placed on the physically unable to perform list

Star safety Nick Emmanwori was placed on the physically unable to perform list on Monday. Just why he landed on the PUP is unclear, but Brady Henderson of ESPN is reporting that Emmanwori is expected to be ready by Week 1.

He will miss some time in training camp, though.

Though the exact nature of Emmanwori's PUP stay wasn't revealed, it more than likely has to do with his ankle. He suffered through two right ankle injuries in his rookie season, and he had an arthroscopic procedure early in July.

"According to a source, the Seahawks knew that Emmanwori might eventually require surgery," wrote Henderson. "He tried to manage his ankle over the offseason, but as he was ramping up for the start of training camp, he continued to experience soreness and opted to have an arthroscopic procedure that was performed earlier this month."

Again, this feels a bit bittersweet. Emmanwori will be expected to play in Week 1, but missing time in training camp is never good — especially coming off a procedure.

However it has played out, the Seahawks are hoping that Emmanwori can continue the trajectory he was on as a rookie. In year one as a second-round pick out of South Carolina, he notched 11 passes defended, 2.5 sacks and one interception in 14 games in the regular season.

He totalled 14 tackles, four passes defended and a fumble recovery during Seattle's Super Bowl run.