SAN JOSE, Calif. — Seahawks rookie safety Nick Emmanwori injured an ankle during Wednesday’s practice at San Jose State University as Seattle prepares to face New England in the Super Bowl.
According to a pool report, Emmanwori suffered the injury while defending a pass late in practice and walked off the field on his own. Several players and coaches walked over to Emmanwori to comfort him before he left the field.
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“He had an ankle (injury) today,” Macdonald told the pool reporter on Wednesday. “We brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps.”
Luckily, however, Macdonald gave a more optimistic view on Thursday.
”He’s got a low ankle sprain,” Macdonald said. “He’s going to do the walkthrough today.”
“He’s doing great,” Macdonald said. “Just got to make sure we handle it the right way.”
Macdonald said he expects Emmanwori to be ready by Sunday’s huge matchup, but the team needs to think through its plan for the difference-making safety.
“Probably going to be over careful and over cautious at this point going into the weekend,” Macdonald said.
Emmanwori, a second-round draft pick, appeared in 14 games during the regular season and had 81 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, one interception and 11 pass breakups. During the playoffs, Emmanwori has a fumble recovery and four passes defensed, including three in the NFC championship game.
Full practice for Maye
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who was limited in one practice with a right shoulder injury during the bye week, was a full participant on Wednesday.
Maye was added to the injury report after the Patriots’ win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game, but he said he was not hurt during that game. He took all of the team’s first-team reps during a 90-minute practice at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, according to a pool report released by the PFWA.
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On Monday, Maye said his shoulder improved enough that he had a normal workout on his first full day in the Bay Area for the Super Bowl. Maye had a breakout season, earning second-team All-Pro honors and being named a finalist for the AP NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards.
He led the league with a 113.5 passer rating, a 72% completion rate and an average of 8.9 yards per attempt. Maye threw for 4,394 yards with 31 TD passes.
Linebacker Robert Spillane, who injured his ankle in the AFC championship game, was the only Patriots player who did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, according to the pool report.
Seahawks’ left tackles banged up
Seattle left tackle Charles Cross and his backup, Josh Jones, both of whom have been dealing with lower-body injuries, were limited in practice. Cross (foot) has battled injuries since mid-December, while Jones (ankle, knee) was injured after filling in. Cross played through his injury during the NFC championship game.
