Two Seahawks Pro Bowl vets likely to miss Saints game, as Thursday game looms
The Seahawks are in the backfill portion of the young regular season.
After two games injuries are piling up. And with two games inside five days coming up beginning Sunday against the New Orleans Saints (0-2) at Lumen Field, doubtful truly means doubtful for the Seahawks (1-1) on their game injury report.
The one they issued Friday has Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon, Pro Bowl safety Julian Love, rookie safety Nick Emmanwori and second running back Zach Charbonnet all doubtful to play Sunday against the Saints.
“All four guys ... we were optimistic at the beginning of the week. And now we’re doubtful,” coach Mike Macdonald said with a grin of “what can you do?” following Friday’s light practice.
At play here: Seattle’s NFC West game at Arizona on Thursday, following the Saints game Sunday. Playing any of the injured, doubtful guys Sunday risks not having them at full strength now and them missing the division game four days later. The Seahawks have already lost one game inside the division, against San Francisco in week one.
“It does (factor in),” Macdonald said.
“Those funky timetables, definitely (we) take into account. But we’re doing everything we possibly can to win this game.”
George Holani, come on down
Charbonnet had 15 carries for 10 yards through the end of the game in Pittsburgh last weekend. He got a toe injury from doing that. He hasn’t practiced all week. Charbonnet has had 66 snaps on offense to lead back Kenneth Walker’s 44 through two games. George Holani is likely to get his first snaps this season at running back Sunday, behind Walker. He’s played 33 special-teams snaps through two games.
“George is the next back,” Macdonald said. “Every time we’ve given George an opportunity he’s done a tremendous job,” Macdonald said. “We expect the same thing.”
Witherspoon ran 40-yard sprints testing his bruised medial collateral ligament in his right knee about two hours before kickoff in Pittsburgh last weekend. Then he missed the game. That ended his streak of 20 consecutive games played.
Derion Kendrick, signed last month off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams, played 68% of the game as Seattle’s fifth, nickel cornerback. Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen were the starting outside cornerbacks in Pittsburgh. That Kendrick, Jobe, Woolen arrangement is likely to stay the same against the Saints.
Kendrick said he’s known Jobe since they played together in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Game for high-school seniors. Kendrick was playing wide receiver then, committed to playing for Clemson. He ultimately transferred to Georgia before the Rams drafted him in the sixth round in 2022. He was a starter for 1 1/2 seasons for L.A. He lost the 2024 season recovering from knee surgery.
He picked up Macdonald’s scheme in less than two weeks, enough to contribute in a major way at Pittsburgh. He intercepted a pass in the end zone midway through the third quarter with the game tied.
Kendrick would have had a second interception of Aaron Rodgers deep in the Steelers’ end, but it went through his hands and off his helmet incomplete.
He said Macdonald’s system is similar to what he ran with the Rams.
“Yeah, pretty much. Other than that ... it’s just knowing football,” Kendrick said. “I went through practice all week seeing how stuff would be. I took most of those reps during practice, so I wasn’t really surprised.”
He’s likely done the same thing this week with Witherspoon still out.
Ty Okada’s chance
Emmanwori is likely going to miss his second game since he got a high-ankle sprain. The Seahawks chose not to put Emmanwori on injured reserve. That’s an indication they think he may be ready to play at Arizona in the fourth game Thursday. Players put on injured reserve during the regular season must by league rules miss a minimum of four weeks.
Love is apparently going to miss his first game in three seasons since the Seahawks signed him from the New York Giants. He’s played in 36 consecutive games to begin his Seattle career, as a post safety, a nickel cover guy in the slot, a down-in-the-box safety against the run. He’s only missed two games in his seven NFL seasons.
“He’s a critical part of our defense,” Macdonald said.
“I mean, the guy — you’ve seen his playmaking ability. You’ve seen his versatility ... his intelligence, his leadership. And this guy’s a tremendous football player.
“He’s a really important player to our program, to our organization.
“We love him. And it just so happens he’s a heck of a player.”
Ty Okada is the next man up with Love’s new hamstring injury from the Steelers game.
Okada, usually on special teams, played the opener on defense against San Francisco early as a “big-nickel” safety as the extra, fifth defensive back after Emmawori got hurt. The 49ers targeted him for first downs and their first touchdown, to All-Pro tight end George Kittle. Then Macdonald switched and went to a more conventional nickel scheme from last season, with Witherspoon moving to slot cornerback inside and Jobe with Woolen outside.
It remained that way until Witherspoon’s injury, from colliding with Jobe as Jobe intercepted a pass from Brock Purdy later in the 49ers game week one.
Now Okada is in line to start Sunday, for Love. D’Anthony Bell, usually a special-teams player, is primed for more time at safety. Bell, signed this offseason from Cleveland, played 12 snaps and Okada nine in Pittsburgh last week.
“I want to gain the trust of my teammates,” Okada said following practice Friday. “I feel like what I do day in and day out has helped me gain that trust, and just continue to be in the right spots and make the right plays, I’ve been able to gain the trust from both perspectives, the teammates and the coaches.”
He said his special-teams coach while he was a two-time All-Big Sky safety at Montana State, BJ Robertson, used to tell him: “You don’t get a better job at doing a poor job at the current job that you have.”
That’ll make you think a minute.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 2:59 PM.
