Seahawks have secondary depth concerns heading into 2026 season opener

Emmanwori's status, in particular, will be worth monitoring ahead of the first game of the season. Last season, the 2025 second-round pick (No. 35 overall) quickly developed into arguably Seattle's most versatile defender under head coach Mike Macdonald, who previously coached standout safety Kyle Hamilton with the Baltimore Ravens.

Per Pro Football Focus data, Emmanwori played the majority of his snaps as a rookie at slot corner (45.3 percent) while also receiving considerable playing time in the box (36.2 percent) and even defensive line (11.4 percent).

Despite being targeted 90 times — the most among safeties in 2025 — Emmanwori only allowed 8.7 yards per reception while forcing a league-high 13 forced incompletions. He was also strong against the run. According to FTN Fantasy's Stats IQ, Emmanwori ranked 10th among qualifying safeties in run-defense stuff rate (2.2 percent).

In February following Seattle's Super Bowl triumph, NFL.com discussed Macdonald's increased usage of two-high safety looks once veteran Julian Love, who is healthy for Wednesday's game, returned from a hamstring injury, including "Cover 6, the favorite of Macdonald and the Seahawks," NFL.com wrote. While "the least common of the split-safety schemes... it has been a hallmark of the defenses run by the last four Super Bowl champions."

It was particularly effective against Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who Patriots.com recently noted ranked second-worst among qualifying quarterbacks in expected points added per drop-back against the coverage last season.

According to Sumer Sports data, the Seahawks operated in dime (six defensive backs) on 53.7 percent of their defensive snaps in Super Bowl LXI, well above the league average. But with Okada out and Emmanwori questionable, Macdonald may have to alter his game plan in Week 1 to fit his personnel.

With depth an issue, Seattle may have to call up a veteran practice squad member such as D'Anthony Bell or Rodney Thomas II. Neither got much playing time last season, and when they did, it was primarily on special teams.

One (or both) may be thrust into a larger role than anticipated out of the gate. If the Seahawks secondary is compromised, it will be up to the Patriots to take advantage.