Getty Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll at Lumen Field on January 01, 2023.
When the Seattle Seahawks made the surprise move to select Devon Witherspoon with their No. 5 overall pick, there was palpable excitement for the Illinois standout to become an immediate starting cornerback for the team.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper ranked Witherspoon as the eighth-best prospect in the entire draft. Kiper wrote, “Witherspoon allowed 16 receptions on 54 targets as the primary defender last season. He gave up just 3.3 yards per attempt and zero touchdowns while breaking up 14 passes and picking off three more. Impressed yet?
“He was extremely consistent all season. He doesn’t get handsy with receivers, so his game will translate well to the NFL. He also will tackle when needed. Witherspoon didn’t work out at the combine because of a minor injury; he ran a mid-4.4s 40-yard dash at his pro day in early April.”
Witherspoon’s “minor injury,” however, has proved to be a major disruption. His hamstring issues kept the 22-year-old from being a full participant in the spring. After a brief training camp holdout due to a contract dispute, Witherspoon has now missed four practices due to the same hamstring injury.
“Same leg, different spot. But the same area,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Wednesday, August 9. He also noted Witherspoon won’t participate in their pre-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, August 10.
While Carroll noted the injury “doesn’t seem serious,” the news was incredibly frustrating for Seahawks fans, who ripped the franchise on X, formerly known as Twitter, for using their top draft pick on a player who was never 100% and can’t seem to get healthy.
“Man, I gotta tell ya I have not been overly impressed with the whole Devon Witherspoon era yet,” one person tweeted, while “Seahawks Forever” podcast host Dan Viens wrote, “Major bummer. I’m not counting on him for the opener now.”
Several fans lamented the Seahawks passed over Georgia standout Jalen Carter to pick Witherspoon. One man tweeted, “Knowing we passed on an elite DT for a slot CB who already showing unreliability in staying healthy is painful, will be even more painful when spoons rookie season treated like a redshirt because he didn’t get these valuable reps so he can’t hit the ground running smh.”
Another fan tweeted, “I’m mentally preparing for him to be out most the year while we go 9-8 and Jalen Carter gets 3 sacks against us 😞.”
The Seahawks are Preparing to Use Devon Witherspoon in the Nickel Slot
Before Witherspoon re-aggravated his injured leg, the Seahawks had the rookie taking a bulk of his reps in the nickel slot, a role he assumed during the team’s mock game scrimmage last week, while Tre Brown and Mike Jackson started at the outside corners. Of course, with Pro Bowler Riq Woolen easing his way back, that rotation will soon change.
With so much hype surrounding Witherspoon after the NFL draft, he was expected to be a shut-down outside corner starting opposite Woolen, watching the rookie play nickel came as a surprise. However, analysts attending camp couldn’t help but agree Witherspoon was excelling at the position.
The switch isn’t yet permanent. Carroll said one of the reasons behind the switch is because Coby Bryant, the team’s primary nickel last season, isn’t 100% just yet after suffering a toe sprain. “So it was a good chance for ‘Spoon to get his reps.”
The Seahawks Are Not Expected to Rush Devon Witherspoon’s Return
Devon Witherspoon in cornerback drills
While Witherspoon is still in the mix to be a starting outside corner, those chances dwindle with each practice he misses, and the Seahawks are not expected to rush him back. After signing the rookie to a four-year, $31.86 million contract, and with serious depth at the cornerback position, Seattle can afford to wait.
Pro Football Talk‘s Josh Alper surmised, “The team will likely be cautious given how often hamstring injuries are aggravated when pushed too soon. The missed practice time is less than ideal for a rookie, however, so there will be a lot of people around the club hoping that Witherspoon gets a clean bill of health soon.”