The Seattle Seahawks released their final injury report ahead of tomorrow night’s season opener against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. Spoiler alert: the defensive backfield is already looking thin. This was one of the biggest concerns with the Seahawks’ roster heading into the regular season, and the injury report confirms those fears are warranted.

Honestly though, it might not be the worst thing for Seattle. 

What the injury report shows

Safety Ty Okada did not practice all week and has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Okada would have likely seen significant playing time had he been healthy. That’s a real loss for a safety room that cannot afford to lose bodies right now.

Nick Emmanwori is listed as questionable, which could be viewed as a positive depending on your perspective. He was limited all week while continuing to work back from his ankle injury. 

If he does play, I wouldn’t expect him to see heavy snaps, but even having him available in a limited role would be a big help for Seattle in this game. 

Wide Receiver Tory Horton was also limited all week with a hamstring injury and is listed as questionable. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has indicated he doesn’t believe the injury will be a long-term issue, but the receiver room only has five bodies on the active roster right now. 

If Horton can’t go, I would expect rookie Emmanuel Henderson Jr. to get elevated from the practice squad and see the field.

Practice squad reinforcements could be key

Julian Love is the one safety who is for sure healthy and on the active roster. That alone tells you the Seahawks will need to make game-day elevations from the practice squad, even if Emmanwori is cleared to play in a limited capacity.

The name to watch is Rodney Thomas II, who Seattle brought in this offseason. Macdonald was asked about Thomas in a press conference and had nothing but praise for the safety:

“Rodney had a great offseason. We were really excited to be able to acquire him in the offseason,” McDonald said. “He has a lot of range, ball skills, and physicality. I thought he played really well in the games when he was out there and he’s practiced great. Really like everybody that’s practiced with us and been here throughout camp.

I would be excited to see them, (I’m) just excited at where they’re at, and we feel like they could contribute to us playing great football.”

Beyond Thomas, Seattle also has safeties AJ Finley, Maxen Hook, and De’Anthony Bell on the practice squad. If Emmanwori can’t go or is expected to play in limited capacity, the Seahawks will certainly need to elevate multiple players to fill out that room.

Also of note the Seahawks won’t be seeing Patriots RB Trey’veon Henderson who was listed as out on their injury report.

Why this isn’t a long-term concern

Look, I think this is a problem for tomorrow night. However, I do not think it’s a problem overall, and I want to lay out two scenarios why.

First, there is no need to rush Nick Emmanwori or Tory Horton back. There will be some players taking snaps for the Seahawks tomorrow night who aren’t a part of their best 53. Guys like Emmanwori and Horton though are ones that you want healthy for the majority of the season, not just week one.

If the Seahawks’ injury report is any indication, they definitely aren’t fully healthy.

Bringing them back too early isn’t worth the risk. This is a good opportunity for other guys to step up and prove they belong. Especially in the defensive backfield where there’s been some questions.

Second, on the offensive side, whether Horton plays or not, I think Montorie Foster Jr. is going to get a decent amount of run. I am very excited about that. 

Foster had the best preseason out of all the Seahawks, in my opinion. It should be a silver lining to an otherwise tough injury situation with him getting to take snaps.

The Seahawks will need their depth to hold up against New England tomorrow night. But if these injuries stay short-term, Seattle should be just fine once it gets fully healthy.