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Devon Witherspoon is playing like a star, even if stats don’t show it: ‘Absolute animal’

   
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 24: Devon Witherspoon #21 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates the win against the Arizona Cardinals with mascot Blitz at Lumen Field on November 24, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Devon Witherspoon has a knack for making Karl Scott’s job easy.

The Seattle Seahawks defensive backs coach often operates like any other assistant: He spends time in meetings throwing plays on the screen and talking his players through the ins and outs of their performance. Scott highlights the standard for his defensive backs, praises those who meet the standard and makes sure those who don’t are accountable.

Then there are other times when — thanks to Witherspoon, the team’s standout second-year defender — Scott doesn’t have to say a word. He can simply turn on Witherspoon’s film, press play and say, “Watch this.”

“I’ve done it many times in the DB room where I don’t have to do no coaching,” said Scott, the lone holdover from Pete Carroll’s coaching staff. “And it’s understood as those guys see, that’s what we need to be doing.”

 

A play in Seattle’s Week 2 win over the New England Patriots serves as an example.

The Seahawks trailed 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter when running back Antonio Gibson took a pitch at the 30-yard line and evaded several defenders before racing down the sideline. The only thing preventing Gibson from giving New England a two-score lead was Witherspoon, who sprinted from the opposite end of the field and traveled 54 yards while reaching a max speed of 21.15 mph to knock the ball carrier out of bounds at the 25-yard line.

Three plays later, Seattle forced a field goal attempt that wound up being blocked by Julian Love, and that proved to be a turning point in Seattle’s eventual overtime victory.

“Everybody talks about Julian, who deserves credit for getting his hands on that ball — but Spoon was the one who gave us the opportunity,” Scott said, “because he wasn’t sulking or he wasn’t being one of those guys (thinking), ‘PFF might see me on this side right by the ball and I’m going to get downgraded.’ He don’t care. He’s a football player.”

Those types of plays have come to define Witherspoon’s sophomore season, which has been statistically underwhelming compared to his stellar rookie year. The Seahawks made Witherspoon the highest-drafted player of the Carroll-John Schneider era when they selected him fifth in 2023. Witherspoon played in only 14 games in 2023, yet recorded 16 passes defensed, three sacks, five tackles for loss in run support, one forced fumble and an interception that he returned for a touchdown on “Monday Night Football,” all while playing nickel and left cornerback. He made the Pro Bowl and received a pair of All-Pro votes.

His promising debut coupled with the hire of defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald meant higher expectations for the 23-year-old Witherspoon coming into this season. Macdonald often talked about challenging Witherspoon to be even better in Year 2. Outside of the building, Witherspoon was viewed as one of the few blue-chip players on Seattle’s defense.

Many of Witherspoon’s numbers aren’t as good this season. In 11 games, he has six passes defensed, one tackle for loss against the run and one forced fumble (which Seattle didn’t recover) but no sacks or interceptions. Last season, Witherspoon delivered a splash play (defined as a win for the defense) every 23.6 snaps, which ranked 13th among defensive backs to play at least 300 snaps (all stats provided by TruMedia unless stated otherwise). This year he has a splash play every 41.8 snaps, which ranks 98th.

But no one inside Seattle’s building has been worried about Witherspoon because of all the hustle and high-football IQ plays he puts on tape that don’t necessarily jump off the screen, like the play against New England. Another example was outside linebacker Derick Hall’s fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons that likely wouldn’t have put points on the board had Witherspoon not sprinted 40 yards to throw a block on offensive tackle Kaleb McGary.

Coaches maintained that someone like Witherspoon who is assignment-sound and always playing with great effort would eventually start to make more splash plays. Seattle’s two-win game win streak over a pair of division rivals has proven them right.

One of Witherspoon’s three passes defensed in Seattle’s Week 11 win over the 49ers was corralled by defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins for an interception that set the offense up in San Francisco territory. The ensuing drive led to a field goal in a game the Seahawks won by three points. Witherspoon received a game ball from Macdonald in the locker room.

On Sunday, Witherspoon had a more direct impact on the final score when he played a significant role in safety Coby Bryant’s 69-yard pick six in the third quarter. Witherspoon initially recorded a pass breakup on fourth-and-1, but a last-second timeout from Macdonald negated the play.

On the redo, Witherspoon crashed down on quarterback Kyler Murray’s fake handoff thinking it would be an inside run. When Murray pulled the ball and rushed outside toward the sideline, Witherspoon quickly spun, beat Murray to the edge, put a hand in the quarterback’s face and forced the inaccurate pass that Bryant picked off. During the return, Witherspoon ran and blocked running back James Conner, who was the only threat to stop Bryant from scoring.

Witherspoon did the “too small” gesture toward Conner and was flagged for taunting, which pushed the point-after attempt backward and led to Jason Myers missing the kick. But Witherspoon did so much to put points on the board that his coach didn’t mind the extracurricular activity.

“John (Schneider) and I were just joking, that was one of the coolest plays ever,” Macdonald said on his Monday morning radio show. “If you just watch Devon Witherspoon the entire play — I know he got the penalty at the end, but at that point, it’s the cost of doing business, even though it cost us the point — the guy’s RPMs are just revving at, like, 5 or 6,000 RPMs for like 20 seconds. It’s unbelievable. The guy is an absolute animal.”

On Sunday, Macdonald referred to Witherspoon’s contribution to Bryant’s touchdown as “Devon Witherspoon 101” because it captured many of the reasons players and coaches love him: Effort, energy, competitiveness and football IQ. In a season where he hasn’t been as statistically productive as expected, Witherspoon has consistently used those traits to impact Seattle’s defense, which is finally playing like a contender.

It’s no surprise that Witherspoon has been at the center of some of the defense’s biggest plays during its midseason turnaround. As the Seahawks look to stay atop the NFC West, they know they can rely on him to remain a difference-maker.

Even in a down year, Witherspoon has done plenty to solidify his spot as one of the team’s best players. He is second with 64 tackles behind Love, who has 76 (linebacker Tyrel Dodson had 71 before he was released in Week 11). Because Witherspoon spends so much time in the slot, he’s a key part of the run defense. His three run stuffs (tackles for no gain) are tied with linebacker Ernest Jones for second on the team, trailing only defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who has four. Witherspoon has five third-down stops, second-most on the team behind safety Rayshawn Jenkins (six).

Ball production aside, Witherspoon has improved in coverage this season. He’s allowing fewer yards per coverage snap as the nearest defender and has a lower passer rating allowed than last season, according to Next Gen Stats. He also hasn’t given up a touchdown after allowing five last season. As was the case in 2023, he has been one of Seattle’s best and most versatile players.

In just his second season, Witherspoon has emerged as one of the team’s leaders on defense. One of the things often talked about in the defensive backroom is their high standard for everyone, not just the starters. They all take it personally if they give up just one catch in man coverage, even in practice. This mindset, Love said, keeps everyone sharp and at the top of their game knowing that coming up short will make for a long day in the meeting room.

It’s a collective effort among everyone in the room, but Witherspoon is often highlighted as a prominent voice in that regard. This was true throughout training camp as well. Teammates know they’re going to get an earful from Witherspoon if they’re not upholding the standard, but they also know he’ll lay his body on the line to help the team, and that he’ll be one of the first ones celebrating with them after they make a big play.

“Spoon has done a great job of stepping forward and just leading that charge,” Love said.

That is just another one of the ways Witherspoon has had a major impact on the Seahawks, even though the numbers haven’t shown it.

(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

 
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