The Seahawks will be short-handed in the secondary when they open the season Wednesday night against the Patriots.
Seattle ruled out safety Ty Okada with a hamstring injury, while safety Nick Emmanwori and wide receiver Tory Horton were both listed as questionable on Tuesday’s game status report. No other Seahawks showed up on the report, leaving the rest of the 53-man roster in line to play.
Okada missed practice Sunday and Monday. Emmanwori was limited both days as he continues his return from July ankle surgery, and Horton was also limited while dealing with a hamstring issue he picked up in training camp.
That leaves Seattle in a spot where it may need to get creative at safety before kickoff. The Seahawks have only one other safety on the 53-man roster in starter Julian Love, so they’ll likely elevate and/or sign multiple defensive backs from the practice squad.
Seattle has four safeties on that unit: Rodney Thomas II, D’Anthony Bell, AJ Finley and Maxen Hook. Thomas, who started 26 games with the Indianapolis Colts from 2022-25, looks like the most obvious candidate to step into Okada’s role as the second traditional safety next to Love.
Bell would be the cleanest fit for Emmanwori’s big-nickel job. He already filled in with two starts early last season when Emmanwori was out.
If Emmanwori can’t go, the Seahawks could also lean on more three-linebacker looks, with Tyrice Knight joining starters Ernest Jones IV and Drake Thomas on the field.
New England has its own injury issues to sort through. The Patriots ruled out second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson with an ankle injury and backup center Ben Brown with a knee issue. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who returned to practice Monday, carries no injury designation and will play.
Henderson, a 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist, rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns last season while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
Without him, Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to handle most of the workload in the Patriots’ backfield. The sixth-year veteran ran for 603 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Corey Kiner is the only other running back on New England’s 53-man roster. He has 12 career carries.
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