Seahawks CB Derion Kendrick 'a different dude' than he was with Rams

After starting 18 games over two seasons, cornerback Derion Kendrick was waived by the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 26 as part of final roster cuts. The next day, he was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks — a huge gift from the Rams to their NFC West rival.

Kendrick, in just 99 defensive snaps over three games, has totaled five tackles, five pass deflections and two interceptions for the rising Seahawks. He’s arguably been the biggest defensive surprise for Seattle after moving into the slot with Devon Witherspoon sidelined.

“There’s a lot of cool gameplan things, little nuances to the gameplan that [Kendrick] picks up and executes that doesn’t necessarily show on the scoreboard, and that, to me, that’s what fires me up the most because those are little edges that we chase throughout the week that give us edges … He’s just got a knack for making plays, so it’s pretty cool,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said after Seattle’s 44-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.

Kendrick has three other near-interceptions where he’s been in a perfect position to make the play, but couldn’t secure it. He still prevented a completion, of course, but a takeaway will always be the preferred outcome.

“He should have three more,” Macdonald joked. “He’s got to go to the Leslie Frazier school of ball drills.”

Derion Kendrick gets his interception on Aaron Rodgers!

SEAvsPIT on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PQpmb7TajZ
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025

Still, Kendrick has proved he will frequently be in a position to make plays. In coverage, he has allowed just two completions (four targets) for 19 yards. That’s an allowed quarterback rating of just 24.0.

“[Kendrick] is a baller. DK is a bona fide ball hawk,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said of Kendrick postgame. “Put him in great positions, he’s going to go out there and make plays, so I’m proud of him. I’m truly proud of him.”

Jones and Kendrick played together in Los Angeles. Kendrick was a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2022 out of Georgia — one season after Jones and the team won the Super Bowl.

Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans ahead of last season and dealt again to the Seahawks mid-season. Kendrick suffered a torn ACL in training camp and didn’t play at all in 2024.

Now, with a change of scenery and a new primary position, Kendrick is excelling in Seattle. He should continue to play a role for the Seahawks, even when Witherspoon returns.

“When I got there, in LA, [and Kendrick] was coming in, you could tell he was still trying to find, I don’t think just himself, but the maturity aspect of it,” Jones said. “For the two weeks that I’ve been around him [in Seattle] — two, three weeks — the guy’s a different dude now.”

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