Nick Emmanwori Among 3 Seahawks Veterans Placed on PUP List

Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori goes through pass rushing drills during mandatory minicamp at the VMAC. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum

Closing in on training camp report day for veterans later this week, the Seattle Seahawks placed standout second-year safety Nick Emmanwori, running back Kenny McIntosh, and cornerback Tyrone Broden on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Monday.

Of the three names, Emmanwori’s inclusion stands out as the most obvious surprise with an undisclosed injury. The Defensive Rookie of the Year runner up from a year ago participated in Seattle’s offseason program in full, taking the field for all open OTA and minicamp practices without any evidence of injury, and looked healthy at a recent youth football camp that he hosted in Edmonds.

Before fans hit the panic button on Emmanwori’s status, however, NFL teams often use the PUP lists for procedural reasons with players who arrive at camp nursing minor injuries such as hamstring pulls or other soft tissue strains, providing a buffer in case the ailment requires a bit of time before the player can return to the field. Teams cannot place players on the PUP list after practices have started, leaving only season-ending injured reserve as an option. To avoid that possibility, it makes sense to err on the side of caution with hopes the player will pass his physical sooner rather than later and be activated.

Time will tell how much time, if any, Emmanwori needs to miss when camp kicks off on July 25, but there have been several examples of players being placed on the PUP list by the Seahawks in recent seasons and passing a physical before the first practice or in the few days afterward. Barring an unforeseen injury cropping up in the past few days, that seems likely to happen with the versatile young defender.

As for McIntosh and Broden, both players continue to recover from significant injuries suffered last season, making their PUP designations expected ones that could potentially drag out into the preseason.

McIntosh, who tore his ACL during a special teams drill in the early stages of training camp last July and missed the entire 2025 season, did not participate on the field during OTAs or minicamp, hinting that he may need a bit more time before he can start working back into football activities. The fourth-year back out of Georgia has performed well when healthy, including averaging 5.5 yards per carry in 2024, but he has been saddled by multiple knee injuries in his first three years in the league and will be returning to a backfield that now includes first round pick Jadarian Price and free agent signee Emanuel Wilson along with returning third down specialist George Holani.

Broden’s injury has never been specifically disclosed by Seattle’s coaching staff, as he was on the practice squad and thus the team wasn’t required to include him on injury reports, but he was seen with crutches at the Super Bowl parade and did not participate in OTAs or minicamp. After playing receiver during his rookie season after going undrafted out of Arkansas, coach Mike Macdonald confirmed during rookie minicamp in May that the Seahawks intend to try the intriguing 6-5 athlete at cornerback this year, a transition that has yet to truly begin because he has been sidelined throughout the offseason recovering from his lower body injury.

Per NFL rules, the Seahawks can activate Emmanwori, McIntosh, Broden, and previously deactivated rookie Deven Eastern to return to practice at any time, but they will not be eligible to return to the PUP list once that move has been made.

With five days remaining until the first practice, the Seahawks likely will have at least a few more veterans placed on the PUP list before hitting the field. Most notably, though the player could be seen doing light agilities and stretching at minicamp last month and appears to be ahead of schedule, running back Zach Charbonnet isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in February and will be placed on the PUP at some point this week.