Devon Witherspoon 'Bringing Lots of Juice' to Seahawks' Defense
RENTON, Wash. - Slowly creeping up towards the line of scrimmage with the restless energy of a wound-up Energizer bunny waiting to be unleashed, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon backpedaled off the snap and quickly rocketed off his back foot in pursuit of receiver Dee Eskridge, who had just caught a quick out route.
After Eskridge turned upfield, he sprinted towards the sideline, likely planning to duck out of bounds as Witherspoon closed in on him. But before he could step out of bounds, in a train wreck rarely seen in modern day NFL training camps, the rookie cornerback flattened the fourth-year receiver and immediately howled in celebration to the delight of his defensive teammates, leading to Eskridge confronting him helmet-to-helmet along the sidelines.
But while Eskridge may have appeared heated towards his new teammate on the field, Witherspoon downplayed the skirmish, saying both players were simply excited to be back in pads and there was no animosity between them.
"He was fired up," Witherspoon laughed. "No, it was just real competitive. It was nothing personal or anything like that, we just were fired up to have the pads on, so it was a good play."
Coming into the NFL as a top-five draft choice, Witherspoon joins the Seahawks with lofty expectations as a potential superstar in the secondary. But while his coverage and ball skills have been on display in four camp practices since signing his rookie contract, nothing has jumped out more than his physicality, aggressive nature, and contagious energy between the lines.
Celebrating the first day of pads as if Christmas came early on Monday, Witherspoon has already made his presence felt as a heavy hitter with a nose for finding the football in his first training camp. Early in the team scrimmage period, he flew out of his zone assignment and decked tight end Colby Parkinson, limiting him to minimal yardage after the catch.
Then on Tuesday, moments after blowing up Eskridge, Witherspoon came flying off the edge on nickel corner blitz to force a quick whistle for a sack. He quickly followed up soon after by crashing inside and delivering a big thump on running back Bryant Koback for a tackle for loss, shouting to the top of his lungs while showing off his dance moves in the backfield.
Known for his bone-jarring hits just as much as his sticky, suffocating coverage as a unanimous All-American at Illinois, Witherspoon's tenacious style shouldn't surprise anyone who has previously seen him play. Taking pride in his tackling and toughness, he loves to prove skeptics wrong who question him for his perceived lack of size and looks forward to sending a tone-setting message every time he steps on the field.
“It’s part of my game that people should realize that I bring to the table," Witherspoon smiled. "I’m kind of undersized but I just don’t want people to underestimate me thinking ‘Oh he's not that big so he won't hit you.’ That’s a lie. I just try to be as physical as I can be and want to bring a lot of juice.”
In his first four practices in Seattle, Witherspoon has brought enough juice to the field to fill a Tropicana truck and then some. Whether he's dishing a big hit as he did on Eskridge or Parkinson or upset about coming up just short of a pass breakup while covering Tyler Lockett, his passion for the game is evident play in and play out simply by watching his expressive body language.
When asked whether or not the Seahawks will need to ask Witherspoon to dial it back moving forward, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said he doesn't think it will be necessary, viewing the physicality and semi-controlled combativeness as major plusses for his defense preparing for the season.
“Let him go. The way how the rules go the CBA is dialed back enough," Hurtt said. "You know, so they protect him. They’ve got to make sure that when it’s time to go it’s go time.”
Physical regardless of where he lines up, Witherspoon seems to be settling in at nickel cornerback, a position that has continued to become more valuable as NFL offenses have transitioned to pass-centric schemes. Aside from a handful of reps at the boundary, he has spent the majority of his time with the first-team defense playing inside, showing off his diverse skill set as a run defender, blitzer, and cover corner.
In Tuesday's practice, Seattle dialed up a slot blitz for Witherspoon, who came crashing inside and forced a quick whistle for a training camp sack. Later in the same team period, he threw his helmet into the fight against the run, helping stuff Kenny McIntosh for a one-yard loss. In coverage, he stayed with Lockett stride for stride on a crosser and forced an errant throw and followed up with a pass breakup against Eskridge on an out route, denying two potential touchdowns in the red zone period.
Flashing his all-around talent on the practice field and improving each day, Carroll has been thrilled with how Witherspoon has taken to the position thus far as he continues to compete against incumbent Coby Bryant, whose workload has been kept in check coming back from a toe injury.
"He’s a natural football player and I say that 'cause he’s really instinctive," Carroll said of Witherspoon's fit in the slot. "He does things kind of naturally right before we’ve even had a chance to get through all of the assignments and stuff like that. He has a real feel for things. So, he’s made really quick progress right there. We’ll get a good look at him tomorrow and see where we are. ... He’s done a nice job. He’s aggressive, he’s a playmaker, he’s looking for plays to make and it’s a good spot for him in that regard."
As for Witherspoon's chance of still starting on the outside where he played most of his snaps in college, the Seahawks aren't ruling anything out this early in the process. Veterans Mike Jackson and Tre Brown have enjoyed strong starts to camp taking reps with the first-team and Tariq Woolen eventually will return from the PUP list in the near future, making a decision on that front unlikely to be made until several weeks from now.
For the time being, Witherspoon has no issues playing inside. In fact, with more chances to be involved delivering punishment against the run and more chances to blitz, he seems to be embracing the role of a modern slot weapon. If the Seahawks eventually move him back to his natural position as the best fit for the defense, he will be more than happy to get back to locking down an island at the boundary.
“I’ll be totally awesome with that. Nickel is a lot of fun. We just go out there and compete in the back end. We’re kind of all interchangeable. No one has one specific spot. We kind of all know the back end.”
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