The countdown has begun as America awaits Super Bowl XL this Sunday. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks wrapped up their final practice on Friday with plenty still up in the air. However, the biggest question revolved around arguably their best defense player this season, rookie safety Nick Emmanwori. To settle the nerves of the entire Emerald City, head coach Mike Macdonald has given an update just in time.

“No designation for Nick…Turns out he’s alive,” a relieved Macdonald said, according to ESPN senior NFL writer Kalyn Kahler.

Moreover, Kahler added more clarity on Emmanwori’s availability by noting, “Safety Nick Emmanwori joined the defensive backs in drills and participated in full. He played catch with a ball boy during break. Emmanwori has no injury designation for Sunday.”

Earlier in the week, the outlook felt far less certain for the Emerald City.

Reports suggested Emmanwori tweaked his ankle during Wednesday’s session and then stayed sidelined on Thursday. However, he himself clarified how he is feeling.

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“It was just towards the end of practice; I just rolled my ankle,” Emmanwori told the NFL Network on Wednesday. “It kind of caught me off guard. The practice wasn’t anything crazy; we weren’t going hard out there, but I just rolled it.

“I’ll be good to go for Sunday, so I’m looking forward to that.”

By Friday, the Seahawks had him back as a full participant. This is certainly a good update for Seattle as the safety/ linebacker has added a tremendous boost of speed and playmaking to their defensive front. He played a key role in the Seahawks’ victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship. Now, all signs point toward him suiting up Sunday against the New England Patriots.

After the Seahawks grabbed Emmanwori in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he wasted no time carving out a major role. Although officially listed as a safety, Seattle rarely keeps him deep. Instead, he floats between nickelback duties and box linebacker looks, giving the defense constant flexibility.

That versatility shows up clearly on the stat sheet. In 14 games, Emmanwori posted 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception, and 11 pass deflections. More importantly, he consistently disrupts plays. He attacks the run, pressures quarterbacks, and competes in coverage, which explains why offenses struggle to account for him snap to snap.

He brought the same success to his first NFL postseason, totaling eight tackles, four pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in two games. So, his return is a big positive. Moreover, Macdonald and Co. are indeed ready to take on the Patriots on Sunday.

The Seahawks prepare for the Super Bowl with an ACT practice

Seattle had a 1-hour 36-minute practice that began at 12:05 pm in San Jose, California. According to Macdonald, this tempo practice is: Alignment, communication, and technique (ACT).

The first team offense practiced to stimulated crowd noise instead of music. The first team defense, too, practiced with stimulated crowd noise blasting on the field. However, this is nothing new for them.

“We do (crowd noise) every week,” the head coach said. “Not sure what the noise level is going to be during the game. We try to hit all those different scenarios.”

However, other than that, it was a normal “Friday workload” according to Macdonald. But one thing was certainly different for the players: they had their families with them for the night.

Emmanwori’s mother, Justina, flew in to cheer for his son. When asked what she was going to do in the Super Bowl, the Nigerian only had one thing to say: “Maybe this is something big that I don’t know.”

Nevertheless, she and the whole family are flying to San Francisco to watch her son, who entered the league NFL-ready, take down the Patriots’ Drake Maye. The rest of the players, too, had the rest of Friday night for their families.

“They’ll get a chance to be with their families, which would be great, and we’ll be back to work in the morning,” Macdonald added.

Meanwhile, the team still has a few more injury concerns.

Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks are dealing with injuries heading into the Super Bowl

Health questions continue to hover over the Seahawks as head coach Mike Macdonald kept pushing forward with his plan for Sunday’s championship clash against the New England Patriots. At the same time, injuries refused to stay in the background. But the biggest worry is quarterback Sam Darnold’s name on that list.

He was out of full practice since hurting his oblique on January 15, just two days before Seattle’s divisional-round win. He also threw only in a limited fashion ahead of the NFC Championship Game, which the Hawks still managed to win.

However, after three straight weeks of restrictions, Darnold finally logged a full session on Thursday. That step all but locked in his availability for Sunday and eased any remaining doubts about his readiness. A few days earlier, Mike Macdonald already sounded confident while addressing the situation.

“Sam’s right on schedule,” Macdonald told the pool reporter a few days ago. “So we’ve had this plan here over the last X amount of weeks, and it varies every day. And today he had a great day, so we’re right on schedule.”

But there are several other names still on the injury list. Here’s the full report:

While the Seahawks’ injury report might unnerve some Seattle fans, Macdonald has already said they are prepared for whatever comes their way.

Despite the growing list of concerns, Macdonald remains focused on keeping the Seahawks on track. Now, with Santa Clara looming, the only real question left is who he ultimately trusts when the lights shine brightest.