Rodney Thomas II embodies Seahawks’ 70-man mantra

The Seattle Seahawks pride themselves on being 70 players strong. It’s a reference to the team’s collective 53-man active roster and 17-man practice squad – or as the Seahawks call it, the “ready squad.”

Rodney Thomas II embodied that 70-man mantra in Seattle’s season-opening 13-10 win over the New England Patriots this past Wednesday night.

Did Seahawks’ defense or Patriots’ mistakes decide opener?

Elevated from the practice squad to start in place of injured safety Ty Okada, Thomas rose to the occasion with a strong all-around performance, highlighted by a pass breakup that resulted in the first of Seattle’s three fourth-quarter interceptions.

Thomas also made four tackles and allowed just two catches for 9 yards on three targets, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Credit to Rodney for staying ready,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “That’s a great example of the 70 going to work.”

Tipped and intercepted by Nehemiah Pritchett!

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Thomas, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick out of Yale, spent his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He was a two-year starter in 2022-23, but slid to a reserve role in 2024-25. He then signed with Seattle in March and re-signed with the Seahawks’ practice squad after roster cutdowns.

Thomas was thrust into action Wednesday night due to several injuries in Seattle’s secondary. Okada (hamstring) and standout hybrid safety Nick Emmanwori (ankle) were ruled out for the opener, while rookie second-round safety Bud Clark (ankle) suffered a season-ending injury last month.

For Thomas and the Seahawks, it was simply next man up.

“All spring and all of camp, he’s been making plays,” safety Julian Love said. “He’s tough as heck. Obviously him stepping up today, no one flinched. We just said, all right, let’s ride. … He had a great game.”

Thomas’ biggest play came in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, when New England quarterback Drake Maye decided to test the deep-left part of the field with a downfield shot toward wide receiver Romeo Doubs.

Thomas broke as soon as Maye released the pass and ranged over to knock the ball into the air. Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett then corralled it for a juggling interception, which help spark the Seahawks’ comeback.

First career INT for Nehemiah Pritchett ‼️

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Yet to Macdonald, it was one of Thomas’ tackles that stood out most.

With the Patriots facing second-and-12 from their own 4-yard line in the third quarter, Maye threw a short pass to wideout DeMario Douglas in the flat. Thomas flew in from his safety spot and made an impressive open-field tackle to limit Douglas to a 1-yard gain. It contributed to a three-and-out that set up Seattle with good field position for its first scoring drive.

Macdonald called it a “tremendous play.”

“That’s something he’s been working on, and it shows you that if you put intent behind areas of improvement, you can make all that stuff come to life,” Macdonald said. “Very excited for him. He should be proud of himself, but it’s just the beginning.”

It’s unclear how long the Seahawks will be without Okada, but Thomas showed he’s more than capable of filling in.

Macdonald also expressed confidence in fourth-year safety AJ Finley, who was signed off the practice squad to the 53-man roster for depth ahead of Wednesday’s opener. Finley played a combined 75 defensive snaps with the Los Angeles Chargers and Seahawks in 2023-24 before missing last season with a torn ACL.

“We will see how long Ty is out,” Macdonald said. “AJ is right there (and) ready to go too. He’s been practicing great, so we have options in the secondary.”

Seattle Seahawks news and more

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• Pritchett shines in debut as Seattle Seahawks’ No. 3 cornerback
• Julian Love ‘dynamite’ as playmaker and leader in Seahawks’ opening win

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