Devon Witherspoon dazzles under the primetime lights
By Charles Hamaker
Newark, NJ – With three cornerbacks on the Seattle Seahawks inactive list and safety Jamal Adams having to leave the game just nine plays in, the team's secondary was already hurting in different ways. Not only did rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon help keep the Seahawks secondary in this game against the New York Giants, he had an NFC Defensive player of the week award winning performance to put his stamp on the teams emphatic victory and showcase the sort of potential that general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll saw out of him when he was selected over touted defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
Big Apple, big presence
In his first primetime game in the NFL, Witherspoon didn’t disappoint with his performance against the New York Giants. With Seattle down three corners already, there was some pressure weighing on him, in addition to the label that comes with him as he was selected fifth overall in this past year's draft. The bright lights of primetime, the weight of where he was selected in the draft and playing in the city of New York in general can be a lot to weight on a player's mind, let alone the fact that his team's secondary was depending on him to hold his own with the other injuries that they were dealing with. To see Witherspoon make plays on all levels of the game, from his 97-yard interception return for a touchdown, the two sacks he recorded, or the two tackles for loss he added, shows what he can do and what he brings to this defense. Even better is the fact that there are more statistics to note from his night, like the three quarterback hits he registered.
Witherspoon brings a ton to a stacked secondary
When fully healthy, Seattle has one of the best and youngest secondaries in the entire NFL. With Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, and Julian Love holding down the safety positions, the cornerback room of Riq Woolen, Tre Brown, Coby Bryant, Michael Jackson, and Artie Burns saw the rich get richer with the addition of Witherspoon. While his coverage is obviously notable, it would be quite odd if it wasn’t considering that is his main job as a cornerback, Witherspoon does something that Pete Carroll loves to see out of his corners: he gets involved in stopping the run. Witherspoon has shown no hesitation to come down into the lower levels of the game to get involved with stopping the opposing run game, highlighted by a massive hit he made on Giants running back Gary Brightwell in the second quarter. That skill set will make him only more and more valuable to this team and increase the shine of his star.
Comparisons were never fair or a good idea
Those comparing Witherspoon to Carter from the moment that the Seahawks opted for the cornerback were just flat out silly. Many within the fanbase were upset that Seattle hadn’t gone for the big defensive lineman out of Georga, and the base reasoning makes sense. The team had been lacking run stopping help and pass rush, and Carter would’ve been able to help both of those things. But there’s obviously more to Carter and that played into why the Seahawks decided that he wasn't worth the risk of their draft pick. In their post first-round press conference, Carroll and Schneider seemed very clear that they didn’t waver on the idea of selecting Carter and they had made their minds up with Witherspoon.
From there, a section of the fanbase had to monitor every single move or noteworthy breath that Witherspoon made to stack it up to what Carter was doing in Philadelphia. On multiple levels, that was never going to be fair to either player, considering that they play different positions, the different situations that they are in, and the expectation that some folks seem to already have on each player that may blind any sort of fair judgement. Witherspoon getting any sort of criticism, especially in week one when he was trying to get back from injury and missed that game, was always wrong and he never deserved that. Hopefully, as he continues his rookie campaign, fans understand that and realize how much potential the young corner has.
Potential awards in his future?
While it’s still very early and he’s only played three games on the young season, Witherspoon’s ability to make an impact in the pass and run game has many involved with the Seahawks thinking that further hardware is in the future of the Illinois alum. The defensive rookie of the year award is one that should have some strong competition, which may include the player that many Seattle fans wanted with the fifth overall pick in this past year's draft (Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles), but Witherspoon is already making his case for the award. With his massive production in the win over the Giants and having led the team in tackles in week three against the Carolina Panthers, ‘Spoon is already a massive contributor to a Seattle defense that is dealing with injuries and looking to improve upon a largely frustrating 2022-23 season where the defense was the epitome of bend, don’t break. Expect the tandem of Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon to cause nightmares for opposing passing games for years to come.
Cover photo by Adam Hunger