The star safety has been wrapped in bubble wrap all offseason, but that now appears to be changing.
The Seattle Seahawks haven't seen star safety Nick Emmanwori at all on the field this offseason, as he dealt with an ankle injury that required surgery this offseason.
With the Seahawks taking a cautious approach with one of their best defensive players, the franchise decided to place him on PUP (Physically Unable to Perform).
As we know, players can come off that list at any time during the offseason, and it appears that the time has come for Emmanwori.
According to reports, the safety has passed his physical and is now in a good place in his recovery.
Of course, Seattle won't exactly rush the safety back into football-related activities, but rather a slow ramp-up period will be forthcoming, as the last thing the Seahawks want is for Nick to break down again.
Having initially been a slow burn in his rookie season last year, Emmanwori quickly became a staple of Mike Macdonald's defense that would become one of the best in football.
Playing 14 games (11 starts), Emmanwori posted 11 passes defended, one interception, 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits as he finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
So it is clear the Seahawks have a stud in the secondary, and while the ankle surgery this offseason meant he had to sit out a large portion of team work, Seattle viewed it as necessary for the long term.
Now that Emmanwori has passed his physical, he can begin integrating back into the defense in hopes of getting as ready as he can be for Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
Of course, given how Emmanwori progresses both from a physical and mental standpoint over the next couple of weeks, it will be key, but from all accounts, he has every chance to take his place against the Patriots.
Having been one of the big storylines this offseason, as many were unsure of when Emmanwori would be cleared to practice, now that he is at least ready to get back on the grass, at this time of the offseason, with plenty of time between now and Week 1 to get up to speed, it is great news for Seattle.
