Seahawks Have a Rising Star in Their Lineup Flying Under the Radar

The Seattle Seahawks had the best 2025 season ever, because they won the Super Bowl. It’s amazing to see what head coach Mike Macdonald has done with this team in just a few years. Call it a total turnaround.

Now, the Seahawks have lost some players that they just couldn’t afford to keep on the roster, but the good news is that they also have some budding stars just waiting to break out.

Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports is highlighting his absolute favorite under-the-radar breakout stars for 2026.

“The offseason and preseason do provide plenty of opportunities for individuals to make their jumps from relative unknowns — at least to casual fans — to standouts,” he says.

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For the Seahawks, he likes safety Nick Emmanwori.

“The reigning Super Bowl champs had a ton of talent across their defense, but one could argue Nick Emmanwori helped them unlock their finest form last year,” he says in the piece. “The Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up played significant snaps as a box safety, as a nickel corner, and even along the defensive line.”

He adds that Emmanwori brought “big-time physicality and athleticism everywhere he went. A strong presence in the run game, Emmanwori hits like a linebacker, runs like a cornerback, and has the size of a safety.”

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Emmanwori is a bright spot for Seattle as they deal with the losses that they had on defense, like safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Riq Woolen. Pereles also makes a solid point that offseason and preseason offer “plenty of opportunities for individuals to make their jumps from relative unknowns — at least to casual fans — to standouts.” Emmanwori could definitely be one of those names.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 2:14 PM.