Seattle, WA
‘Great Feel For Game’: Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon Trending Towards Superstardom
RENTON, Wash. – Normally a man of few words, with communication being a critical aspect of the job from on-field communication to press conferences, first-time head coach Mike Macdonald has had to open up a bit more as he begins his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks.
Still feeling things out with OTAs kicking off this week at the VMAC, Macdonald acknowledged developing a rapport with his new players remains a work in progress and there isn’t a magic wand to instantly create a “mutual understanding of what kind of football team we want to be.” But before he could wrap up his response following Wednesday’s practice, a boisterous Devon Witherspoon decided to chime in while grabbing a Gatorade on his way into the facility.
“Let ’em know coach, let ’em know!” Witherspoon enthusiastically shouted.
Along with drawing laughs from reporters, Macdonald couldn’t help but crack a big smile and said “See, ‘Spoon knows!” before quickly shifting back into his serious, all-business demeanor and fielding the next question.
Known for his reserved, soft-spoken style, Macdonald won’t be mistaken with his predecessor Pete Carroll, whose infectious energy and rah-rah personality seemingly permeated throughout the entire Pacific Northwest anytime Seattle hit the field. But if there’s one commonality between the two coaches, it’s their affinity for Witherspoon, which shouldn’t come as a shocker considering the immense impact he already has had in his brief time with the franchise.
Coming to the Pacific Northwest carrying lofty expectations as the fifth overall pick, Witherspoon managed to live up to the hype and then some. After missing the season opener recovering from a hamstring injury, he posted a historic stat line while seeing snaps both as an outside cornerback and slot defender, becoming just the seventh player and only rookie since 1999 to record at least 14 pass breakups, three sacks, and eight tackles for loss in the same season.
From an advanced metrics perspective, whether in man or zone coverage, Witherspoon held his own shutting down opposing receivers. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed only seven catches on 15 targets in man coverage with three pass breakups and no touchdowns while finishing eighth in forced incompletions. Equally dominant in zone, ranking in the top 15 in receiving yards allowed and pass breakups while also finishing in the top 10 in forced incompletions.
Despite playing on one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL, the Seahawks would have been significantly worse without Witherspoon, who finished in top 10 among cornerbacks in run stops, run stop percentage, and solo tackles while adding five tackles for loss versus the run.
Even more impressively, Witherspoon’s off the charts efficiency as a blitzer created major problems for opponents all season long and his contributions went beyond bringing down the quarterback in the pocket. On 30 pass rushing snaps, he generated 10 pressures to go with a trio of sacks and also swatted three passes, earning a fantastic 22.4 pass rush productivity rating from Pro Football Focus while posting a 33.3 percent pressure rate.
Considering his outstanding numbers as a rookie and how his well-rounded skill set, physicality, and positional flexibility should perfectly fit Macdonald’s scheme, it’s no wonder the young coach seems to be grinning ear to ear every time he watches or talks about the ascending superstar.
“I mean, where do I start?” Macdonald said when asked about what he likes about Witherspoon’s game, specifically referencing his talents in the slot. “Great feel for the game. I mean, just picks things up really quick, but just understands ball and plays at a really, really fast speed. At nickel there is a lot of action in there, and so when guys have that type of skillset you can get them right around the action as much as possible. He’ll do all the things: He’ll blitz, man, zone, play deep in the field, so it’s a fun position to play.”
Just 23 years old, Witherspoon has wasted little time giving a taste of what he may be able to accomplish playing for Macdonald. In Wednesday’s practice, while primarily playing in the slot with cornerbacks Tre Brown and Riq Woolen on the boundary, he made a pair of impressive pass breakups, including showcasing elite closing speed to undercut an out route by teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba along the sideline to create an incompletion.
Playing with Witherspoon for the first time after signing with the Seahawks in free agency, veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins has been wowed by what he’s seen from his new teammate thus far at OTAs, specifically citing his elite ball-hawking traits.
“He’s a really talented young player for him to not be the biggest guy. He plays with a lot of heart out there, you can see it even from here. I was just thinking about this today actually, but his breaking on the ball is just elite. It’s some of the best I’ve probably ever seen. I was literally just thinking about it today. I saw him break up two passes and the receiver had a step or two on him and closing speed is crazy. He just gets right to the ball, undercuts the ball. He’s going to make a lot of plays as he has been doing coming off of last season.”
Without tackling or contact being allowed during offseason practices, Witherspoon will have to wait a while before he can dish out the bone-jarring hits he has earned a reputation for dating back to his illustrious college career at Illinois. But he could still be seen rocketing off the edge as a blitzer a few times on Wednesday, something fans should be expecting to see plenty of given Macdonald’s history of sending defensive backs as blitzers.
Last season, for example, Macdonald featured safety Kyle Hamilton as one of his primary pass rushing weapons. The former first-round pick out of Notre Dame generated 16 pressures on 37 blitz attempts, equaling Witherspoon with three sacks and producing two swatted passes along with a 37 percent pressure rate.
Though Witherspoon and Hamilton are far from carbon copies, starting with the fact they offer far different body types, they share many of the same strengths with an aggressive playing style and elite pass rushing ability. It’s no wonder Macdonald appears to have a vision of his newest playmaker staying inside most of the time to play to his strengths and allow him to wreak havoc on Sundays as one of the sport’s ascending young stars.
Since it’s only May, time will tell how Macdonald ultimately deploys his new weapon. But if the start of the offseason program serves as an indicator with Witherspoon flying all over the place making plays, it might be wise to take the over on how much Macdonald will be smiling on the sidelines this fall.
Seattle, WA
New York Sirens beat Seattle Torrent in front of sold-out MSG crowd in historic game for women’s hockey
History was made Saturday night at Madison Square Garden as the New York Sirens played the Seattle Torrent before a sold-out crowd.
It was the first time a Professional Women’s Hockey League game was played at the iconic arena.
The ceremonial puck drop didn’t just signify the start of a game, but a new era in women’s sports.
“We got women in space right now. We got women on the ice,” Queens resident Aaimz Davis said. “We got women everywhere.”
For Sirens season ticket holders, a sold-out MSG to see their ladies play was less of a “who would’ve thought?” and more of a “it’s about time.”
“Women’s sports have come a long, long way and this just means– this is just an awesome feeling,” fan Patricia Fraser-Morales said.
“You had the Liberty, yeah, OK, then you have Gotham, the soccer,” fan Myrna Morales-Fraser said. “Now you have hockey.”
It was a history-making game for the sport — both the first home game at the legendary arena for the Sirens, and the first time it’s drawn a crowd this big for women’s hockey.
On hand to mark the occasion was 39 Grand Slam-winning tennis great and trailblazer Billie Jean King.
“My dream has always been to help women’s sports grow because I come from a time when nobody cared about women in sports. It was horrible,” she said. “So when I see this, and I’m so happy I’m still alive to see it, you have no idea.”
Girls from the New Jersey Colonials youth hockey team, coached by Sirens Coach Greg Fargo, were excited and inspired. They see themselves going far, hoping to see their names up alongside the legends’ banners at New York’s center-stage arena.
“Maybe it’s gonna start growing more and more, and it’s gonna inspire more girls,” player Quinn Doherty said.
To give fans even more reason to celebrate, it ended up being a thrilling 2-1 shootout win for the Sirens.
The NFL draft is less than three weeks away, and one of the things I keep hearing is people excited about the idea of the Seattle Seahawks trading up from pick No. 32 in the first round.
Stacy Rost: What we can learn from Seahawks’ NFL Draft history
I’m not necessarily opposed the idea of trading up, but I want to throw two big caveats in that. One, I’m not giving up any of the picks from next year, certainly not next year’s first round. Next year is supposed to be an incredible draft. This is supposed to be a mediocre draft where there are starters, not stars. If you got the opportunity to get stars next year, I want to take as many of those as possible, so please do not trade away certainly your first-round pick for next year.
But then Brock Huard has brought up this whole idea of trading up for Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love because he’s the best player in the draft. He might very well be right that he is. You know what I just can’t get myself to agree to? It’s trading up for a running back and certainly not trading next year’s first-round pick and this year’s first-round pick and probably more than that to get up into the top 10 for a running back, for a skill-position guy.
Should Seahawks consider trading up for NFL Draft’s top RB?
Look, you were just barely able to keep me on board with paying $225 million for wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed knowing that you’re gonna be spending a whole bunch of money on cornerback Devon Witherspoon. I love all those players. I get nervous about spending that much money that far away from the line of scrimmage.
You wanna now go trade two first-round picks and try to get a running back? I’m sorry, that’s where you lose me. I just can’t go that far. I don’t care how good he is. I’m out.
This post is a transcript of the video at the top of the post. It is edited for clarity. Catch Mike Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage
• Seahawks’ 2026 OTA, minicamp schedule announced
• What GM said about Seahawks making ‘Hard Knocks’ debut
• Why Daniel Jeremiah isn’t concerned about Seattle Seahawks’ FA losses
• Why Macdonald envisions Shaheed as bigger WR threat in ’26
• Stacy Rost: Who makes most sense to play Seahawks in NFL opener
If you live in the Fauntleroy-area neighborhood where Seattle City Light is working on long-needed underground repairs and updates, Brace Point, you’ve probably closely followed their progress. For those who haven’t, here’s the latest of SCL’s periodic updates:
Seattle City Light contractors continue to work on the underground electrical infrastructure serving the Brace Point neighborhood. They are installing new duct banks, conduits, cables, vaults, and streetlights. The new infrastructure will help reduce the risk of outages and improve service for residents.
Underground civil construction is approximately 32% complete. Our crews have installed 3,470 linear feet of conduit and 13 underground electrical vaults. We expect to finish most civil construction by the end of 2026. After that, crews will focus on cleaning staging areas and restoring the project area to the same, if not better, condition.
You can reach our team at bracepointcable@stephersonassociates.com or 206-312-0021.
If you would like to talk to a member of the project team in person, you can find us in the upstairs meeting room at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library on Wednesday, April 8 from 12-1 PM.
Current work areas:
Southwest Brace Point Drive: Crews are working near the intersection of 46th Ave. SW and SW Brace Point Drive.
47th Ave. Southwest: Crews are working north along 47th Ave. SW near the intersection of 46th Ave. SW and SW Roxbury St. Please drive carefully through this intersection and expect changing traffic patterns as the work progresses.
Longer than usual delays: Concrete pours are scheduled to occur on Wednesdays from 8 AM – 2 PM for the remainder of the project. Due to the narrow streets, trucks may have to park in the right-of-way. Please plan for longer than normal delays during these times.
Pedestrian trail: Crews are running new conduit and replacing the streetlight on the trail between 47th Ave.
Southwest to 48th Ave. Southwest. The trail is closed and expected to reopen in mid-April, once crews have finished the foundation for the new light pole. They will restore any areas disturbed by the project to City standards.Upcoming work areas
46th Ave. Southwest: After crews complete work on Brace Point Drive, they will start utility work on the segment of 46th Ave SW between Brace Point Drive and the intersection of SW Roxbury St and 47th Ave SW.
47th Ave. Southwest: This spring, crews will start working near the south end of 47th Ave. SW and work north towards the intersection of SW 98th St.
The work finally started last fall, five years after the originally projected start date.
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