Patriots RB Henderson, Seahawks safety Okada out for Super Bowl rematch

• Mike Reiss

  Close

  

  Mike Reiss

  ESPN Staff Writer

  Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
   and 

• Brady Henderson

  Close

  Brady Henderson

  ESPN

  Brady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation and covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2017 after covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM.

Sep 8, 2026, 05:12 PM ET

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson won't play in the regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, while the defending Super Bowl champions may have to begin their title defense without two of their top three safeties.

Henderson, who has an ankle injury and is New England's No. 2 option at running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson, last practiced on Aug. 24. After slipping on a run play, he left the field with athletic trainers.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, ruled out safety Ty Okada while Nick Emmanwori, who plays extensively as Seattle's third safety, is listed as questionable.

However, signs continue to point to Emmanwori being unlikely to play in the rematch of Super Bowl LX. He was listed as limited on all three of the Seahawks' injury reports this week -- Tuesday's was an estimation as they held a walk-through -- meaning he's still not a full-go following July ankle surgery.

The only other Seahawks player with a game designation is No. 4 receiver Tory Horton, who's questionable due to a hamstring injury. He was listed as limited all week.

Immediately after Emmanwori had the arthroscopic procedure on his right ankle, the Seahawks believed he'd be ready by Week 1, but that became less and less certain as the summer went on. Emmanwori, last season's runner-up for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, was activated off the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 11 so that he could participate in walk-throughs, but he did not take part in any of the training camp practices that were open to media.

A second-round pick in 2025, Emmanwori suffered a high ankle sprain on his right leg on the first series of last season's opener, causing him to miss the remainder of that game and the next three. Four days before the Super Bowl, he suffered a low sprain on the same ankle in practice, then played through the injury in the Super Bowl. According to a source, the Seahawks knew that Emmanwori might eventually require surgery. He tried to manage his ankle over the offseason, but as he was ramping up for the start of training camp, he continued to experience soreness and opted for surgery.

The Seahawks have been hit hard by injuries at safety. They drafted Bud Clark in the second round with the thought that he'd push Okada for the starting job that Coby Bryant vacated when he signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency, but Clark suffered a season-ending ankle fracture in the preseason. Okada was listed as a non-participant on all three injury reports this week because of a hamstring injury.

Rodney Thomas II and AJ Finley are two of the backup safeties on Seattle's practice squad that could be elevated for the opener.