Why is Devon Witherspoon now a Seahawks nickel? Tackling. Why is Darrell Taylor now out?
Why in the name of Shawn Springs is the fifth-overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, the highest-drafted Seahawks cornerback in a quarter century, playing nickel inside?
Two reasons: His bravado. And his tackling.
Devon Witherspoon again shined Thursday in his new role no one saw coming — including the Seahawks. That is, until coach Pete Carroll made the move in June. Witherspoon, a standout, physical tackler and aggressive cornerback at the University of Illinois, again was Seattle’s primary nickel defensive back for about a third of the starting unit’s plays with five defensive backs.
Thursday’s seventh practice of training camp ended with a fourth-and-goal play. Geno Smith rolled to his right trying to throw. Witherspoon blanketed wide receiver Cody Thompson, who broke off his route from the back of the end zone back to the quarterback. Thompson made three moves to the side Smith rolled to. Witherspoon stayed chest to chest with Thompson on each move. Smith finally just chucked the ball out of bounds incomplete.
Witherspoon stood, posed and did a look-at-me shoulder shrug to punctuate the final play of the day.
Wednesday, Witherspoon drew Carroll’s praise — and the offensive players’ anger. He lowered his shoulder into the chest of receiver Dee Eskridge and drove him into the sideline grass following Eskridge’s reception in front of him in a red-zone drill. The rookie’s defensive teammates roared.
Safety Jamal Adams, on the physically-unable-to-perform list recovering from his torn quadriceps tendon last September, came off the sideline and pounded Witherspoon on the rookie’s back to celebrate the hit.
Eskridge didn’t appreciate it. He got into the rookie’s face after the tackle.
“He was fired up. It was really competitive,” Witherspoon said. “It was nothing personal. We’re just fired up to have the pads on.”
Devon Witherspoon, tackler
Witherspoon is 6 feet tall and 185 pounds. That’s light by NFL standards, particularly for tacklers in the middle of a defense.
That may be why he’s spent much of his first week of Seahawks training camp letting his new teammates know he loves to tackle.
Tuesday, 6-7 tight end Colby Parkinson tried to run over Witherspoon in the open field on a screen pass down the right sideline. WItherspoon planted Parkinson into the sideline, much like he did Eskridge the following day.
“I just said it’s part of my game that people should realize that I bring to the table,” Witherspoon said. “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.”
Juice brought. Carroll was still talking about Witherspoon’s electrifying tackle of Eskridge following Thursday’s practice.
“Did you see him yesterday?” Carroll said. “He had one shot, man, and he had a perfect tackle in practice.
“It is part of (the decision to try him inside at nickel). Because that is a very active position in terms of run and pass. You are playing nickel on first down, a lot in the league. So it does call for that.”
What all is Scott, his position coach, asking of Witherspoon in his new, nickel role?
“I’m asking him to be an all-around DB, you know?” Scott said. “I am asking him to play man to man, in the slot, where there’s a lot more room. I’m asking him to have zone (coverage) awareness, at the second level — but then also asking him to be a physical run defender, too.
“So it’s a wide facet of things.”
Success with rookie nickels
Normally, rookies don’t play nickel defensive back in the NFL. It’s too physical, and too complicated for the inexperienced. Nickels must play the entire field. They must take on run blockers and tackle like a linebacker. They must cover, often the opponents’ top receiver, in the slot. They must be experienced in offensive formations and looks. They must know the defense so well they can change roles in an instant just before the snap or even during plays.
Yet the Seahawks succeeded with Coby Bryant, the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the top cornerback in major college football in 2021 at the University of Cincinnati, as their primary nickel defensive back as a rookie last season.
Bryant is a sterling cover man. He acknowledged during last season his adjustment to tackle and reading run blocks in the NFL.
The Seahawks have been in full pads only once in seven practices so far in training camp, so they haven’t seen it first-hand yet. But their scouts saw Witherspoon at Illinois as an unusually strong tackler for a cornerback. It’s a position where often guys love to intercept and knock down passes but not so much get dirty in rugged play tackling.
“That’s the area that would keep a young guy from playing (there); he just doesn’t have a sense for the run game, and he doesn’t fit right and know situations,” Carroll said of tackling and nickel. “Because there are so many things that happen there.
“It’s really exciting to not have to tell him everything. We just stay out of his way a little bit. He does understand. It makes sense.”
Defensive backs coach Karl Scott said he saw film of Witherspoon playing inside against slot receivers at Illinois. As the Illini’s far superior cover man, Witherspoon shadowed the other team’s best receiver all over fields, inside and outside, wherever offenses aligned him.
So this move from cornerback to nickel back isn’t entirely new for him.
“It’s going smooth. It was an easy transition once I got it down pat,” Witherspoon said. “Just keep getting a lot of reps at nickel, and then just kind of slow it down, bring it to your speed of the game.
“It’s a real easy transition, especially in our defense.
“It plays to my game a good amount, and it plays well to our defense the way that we run it.”
The coaches are so intrigued by Witherspoon inside as a nickel versus slot receivers, this week they began putting Bryant back at safety for some scrimmage plays. That, Scott said, is a nod to Bryant’s skills defending passes in flight.
“He’s instinctive as far as playing in space,” Scott said of Bryant.
“As far as what the league is going to in match-ups and all that good stuff, the day and age of a ‘box’ safety (think: Kam Chancellor, near the line of scrimmage like a linebacker) are long gone. Few and far between are guys that can actually cover, inside, and not just the tight end.”
Dime, with Coby Bryant
The coaches like Bryant and Witherspoon so much, the Seahawks defense has played them together in more dime sets (six defensive backs) than they’ve run in most first weeks of training camps over recent seasons.
Witherspoon described the difference for him in playing cornerback versus nickel.
“Outside, you are kind of on an island. You get the bigger type of receivers. In the slot, you get the shiftier guys and get to be in the run fit a little bit more. In the league, they move their top guys to the slot as well. You get a lot of good reps at both.”
The other reason Witherspoon is getting this time as the first nickel: Seattle’s coaches and athletic-training staffs are limiting Bryant’s plays in practice. That’s from a toe injury Bryant had through the offseason.
Carroll estimates Bryant is getting about 65% of the plays the other regulars on defense are getting so far in camp.
Whatever, Witherspoon said. He’s getting paid $31.8 million, all fully guaranteed as of last weekend. So he’s going to play — wherever Carroll, Scott and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt want him to.
“I’ll be totally awesome with that. Nickel is a lot of fun,” Witherspoon said. “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.”
Darrell Taylor out
Darrell Taylor missed practice. The team’s co-leader with 9 1/2 sacks last season had his left arm in a black sling as he joked with teammates just before the start of drills.
“He sprained his shoulder. We’ve got to wait to figure out how long it’s going to take,” Carroll said. “We don’t think...it’s not a surgery, it’s not requiring surgery. We just have to see how it responds.
“He felt way better (Thursday) than he did (Wednesday). So, that’s good early progress.”
Zach Charbonnet returns
Days after Carroll said rookie running back Zach Charbonnet was out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, the second-round pick from UCLA fully practiced.
He had a sharp, one-cut-and-go run inside at the line on the second running play of 11-on-11 scrimmaging Thursday.
“Now you know what indefinite means,” Carroll said, chuckling.
Charbonnet missed four practices.
“He’s fine,” Carroll said.
Kenneth Walker still sidelined
But lead running back Kenneth Walker remained out.
That truly is indefinitely, because of a groin issue.
This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 5:46 PM.
