Seahawks Week 5 inactives: Defense without 3 key starters vs. Buccaneers

Though it has continued to be a bright spot for the team, the Seattle Seahawks' defense can't seem to catch a break with injuries in the early part of the 2025 season.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon (knee), safety Julian Love (hamstring) and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence (quad) had already been ruled out before Sunday, but they remain huge holes for the Seahawks against a stout, though also decimated, Tampa Bay Buccaneers team.

Witherspoon will miss his third game of the season after playing against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 and re-aggravating his knee injury. Love will miss his second game of the season after also re-aggravating his hamstring injury against the Cardinals. This will be Lawrence's first absence after suffering his quad injury in Week 4.

Also inactive for the Seahawks are swing tackle Josh Jones, undrafted rookie linebacker Jared Ivey, wide receiver Cody White and tight end Nick Kallerup.

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) reacts after a play during the second half against San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The silver lining for the Seahawks is that they are getting rookie defensive back Nick Emmanwori back in the lineup for the first time since the season opener, and he will start at safety in place of Love. Emmanwori played just four snaps in Week 1 before sustaining a high ankle sprain that held him out for the next three games.

Derion Kendrick will likely fill in as the third cornerback behind Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe, with Witherspoon out again, and Lawrence's absence means more snaps for Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall and Boye Mafe.

Seattle and Tampa Bay kick off at 1:05 p.m. PT at Lumen Field in a battle of two NFC powerhouses in the early season.

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