SAN JOSE, Calif. — With four days to go before Super Bowl LX, neither Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald nor Sam Darnold seems concerned about the quarterback’s oblique injury.
“It feels really good,” Darnold said Wednesday morning. “Definitely the time off has helped a little bit. I’m always just going to take it one step at a time, do my rehab and do everything I need to do to make sure it feels great going into practice and going into the game … on Sunday.”
The Seahawks, however, have a new injury issue after nickelback Nick Emmanwori hurt his ankle while defending a pass late in practice Wednesday afternoon. According to the pool report from ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, several players and coaches went over to comfort the finalist for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year before he walked off the field on his own power.
“He had an ankle today,” Macdonald told Kahler. “We brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps?”
Emmanwori, a second-round pick, has emerged as a key in Macdonald’s top-ranked scoring defense. He was listed as a limited participant, as was Darnold.
Speaking to the media at large before practice Wednesday, Macdonald said Darnold is progressing by the day, adding: “He’s in a great spot. I know he’s really confident.”
There has never been a doubt about Darnold’s availability for the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. He played through his left oblique injury in both of Seattle’s playoff games and threw three touchdown passes in the win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 25. He did not have an initial game designation when both teams were required to release those on Friday.
But there has been a question of how much Darnold will do in practice this week. After his performance against the Rams, Macdonald said his quarterback “barely” practiced that week. The Seahawks have now listed him as a limited participant on all eight injury reports they’ve released since he hurt his oblique on Jan. 15.
“Sam’s right on schedule,” Macdonald told Kahler. “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.”
Every Seahawks player practiced in some capacity Wednesday. Left tackle Charles Cross was limited with the foot injury he played through in the NFC Championship Game.
The Seahawks arrived in the Bay Area on Sunday evening. Players worked out Monday before a day off Tuesday, as Macdonald kept his team in its normal weekly cadence. They’re practicing this week at San Jose State University.
