When rookie safety Bud Clark was carted off the field with a broken ankle during the Seattle Seahawks’ preseason game in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday night, it was the most visible recent blow to the team’s secondary.
What was less obvious, though, was that the Seahawks were already without fellow safety Rodney Thomas II, who signed a one-year contract in March. He did not play during Seattle’s 19-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans because of a hand injury, according to coach Mike Macdonald.
“We’ll see if and when he’s coming back on time,” Macdonald told reporters.
The coach’s prognosis on Clark, meanwhile, was much more definitive, and much less encouraging.
“Severity, I’m not sure,” Macdonald said of Clark’s injury, “but he’s going to be out multiple months.”
A defensive back who might return much sooner than Clark or Thomas is Nick Emmanwori. The second-year nickelback passed his physical on Aug. 11 and was activated from the physically unable to perform list after having offseason ankle surgery. The defending-champion Seahawks hope Emmanwori will be ready for their season opener on Sept. 9, a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots.
Retaining Devon Witherspoon, who recently signed the richest contract for a cornerback in NFL history, quieted any concerns about the 2023 first-round pick’s future in Seattle. Cornerback Josh Jobe signed a three-year deal in March, ensuring the Seahawks would be in capable hands opposite Witherspoon.
Still, Seattle was already going to be hard-pressed to field a defense as stout as last year’s unit, regardless of its injury woes. In 2025, the Seahawks allowed the fewest points per game (17.2) in the NFL.
Safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Riq Woolen departed via free agency, signing with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.
Their exits prompted general manager John Schneider to add to Seattle’s secondary depth. He signed Thomas, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene and safety D’Anthony Bell in free agency, then selected four defensive backs in the draft, including Clark. The moves gave Macdonald plenty of options after his team led the league in percentage of plays with at least five defensive backs on the field last season (92.6), per TruMedia.
Shortly after the draft, the coach brushed off any notion of Clark being brought in as a direct replacement for Bryant. Throughout training camp, Clark spent significant time repping with the first-team defense.
“We got some really great players at safety, too, that are going to compete,” Macdonald said in April. “Ty Okada helped win us a lot of games last year. Rodney Thomas is a guy that we’re really high on. A lot of guys. So it’s going to be a lot of great competition.”
To Macdonald’s point, Okada has impressed throughout training camp after a breakout 2025 season in which he set career highs in games started (11) and tackles (65). Given Seattle’s dwindling depth, Okada, who went undrafted out of Montana State in 2023, could very well start next to Julian Love when the Seahawks open the season.
“It’s me versus me every single day,” Okada told reporters last week. “I want every single DB in the DB room in Seattle to be the best versions of themselves day in and day out. And if we all do that, we’re going to continue to grow as a group, and that’s only going to further help the defense and the team.”
As the Seahawks’ most recent moves showed, though, Schneider is not satisfied with Seattle’s roster.
Last week, the Seahawks added former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs on a one-year deal. Diggs, who turns 28 next month, played eight games with the Cowboys in 2025 before being waived, then played two for the Green Bay Packers (including playoffs) before they released him. A two-time Pro Bowler, he didn’t record an interception last season for the first time in his six-year NFL career.
The Seahawks brought Diggs aboard as a reclamation project. After signing, Diggs said he was aware of how much his place in the NFL has changed since he led the league with 11 interceptions in 2021.
“I’m looking to show that I’m still the best,” Diggs said. “I’m looking to show that I just want to win and be there for my teammates and be a great teammate and be a great player.”
A week before adding Diggs, Seattle agreed to terms with former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold. That deal has not been signed yet, but is still expected to push through. The 2024 first-round pick’s future is murky as he faces kidnapping and armed robbery charges, which carry a potential sentence of up to life in prison, stemming from a February incident in Tampa, Fla.
Once Arnold signs, he is expected to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, which would prevent him from practicing or playing while the league investigates and considers potential punishment under the personal conduct policy. However, Arnold would be paid and could attend team meetings while on the list. He is due to appear in person in court on Oct. 5.
In any case, it appears unlikely Arnold will be on the field for Seattle anytime soon.
Heading into 2026, the Seahawks knew their secondary would look much different from the one featured in the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship run. But after Clark’s injury, it became clear to Macdonald that Seattle’s safety depth, in particular, is soon to be tested.
“We’re going to have to reevaluate where we’re at,” Macdonald said. “But we saw some good things out (of) AJ (Finley) and D’Anthony. So, we’ll see.”
