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# Camp Takeaways: Devon Witherspoon Focused on Football, Seahawks’ Defense Steals Show in Practice 15
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/camp-takeaways-seattle-seahawks-devon-witherspoon-focused-football/
- Published: 2026-08-12T00:27:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:35:34.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Devon Witherspoon, Drew Lock, Jadarian Price, Emanuel Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ernest Jones, Velus Jones Jr., Elijah Arroyo, Cody White, Robbie Ouzts, Nick Emmanwori

RENTON, Wash. - Still without a new contract three weeks into training camp, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon isn’t sweating his long-term status with the franchise as he continues to take care of business between the lines.

Since camp opened, Witherspoon has been a full participant for Seattle, active in every practice while only having a couple of veteran rest days where he didn’t see much action during team drills. Unlike some players who would have chosen to hold out or “hold in” while still being in attendance, the All-Pro corner told reporters after Tuesday’s 15th practice that even without a new contract in tow just yet, he doesn’t believe in skipping out on practice time.

“I’m not worried about that right now,” Witherspoon said of his contract situation. “I’m focused on making plays and trying to get better day by day. We’ve got other stuff to focus on, with the goal of trying to win games, so that’s my focus right now.”

Entering his fourth NFL season, Witherspoon currently has two years left on his rookie deal after Seattle exercised his fifth-year option back in March. Under the terms of the remaining years on the contract, he carries a $10.3 million cap hit for the upcoming 2026 season and that hit balloons to $21 million next season with the option.

Recently, Seahawks general manager John Schneider has extended tackle Charles Cross and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, two other former first round picks for the franchise who had their fifth-year options exercised. But neither player actually played out that fifth season before receiving an extension, with Cross signing a four-year, $104.4 million extension in January and Smith-Njigba setting a new record for non-quarterbacks with a four-year, $168.8 million extension.

Schneider and Seattle’s front office initiated discussions with Witherspoon’s representatives immediately after picking up the option, but unlike with Smith-Njigba, the two sides weren’t able to quickly strike a deal. Negotiations have continued into training camp, complicated by the fact that Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez has the same agent and also is seeking a potential market-setting deal at the same time. It remains to be seen which domino will fall first on that front.

For now, Witherspoon doesn’t appear to be concerned at all about the situation, as evidenced by his typical boisterous, excitable demeanor on the practice field. By choosing not to sit out of any drills or practices as a means of protest, he clearly expects a deal will get done in due time and isn’t going to let negotiations impact his preparation for the start of the regular season with sights on leading the Seahawks back to the top of the NFC West.

“Contract or not, we still got to play football at the end of the day and we got to be out there and be prepared, man,” Witherspoon remarked. “If you're not practicing, you're not getting ready for the season because everybody else in the league is practicing. They’re getting better. So that's what my mind is at right now. I'm focused on what I need to do right now. I'm not really worried about anything else.”

Closing in on the conclusion of training camp, what else stood out from Tuesday’s 15th practice? Here are four observations from the VMAC:

### **1\. First-team defense holds serve against Sam Darnold and company, including a strong finish in a two-minute drill.**

The past five practices have truly been a roller coaster in terms of whether the offense or defense comes out on top, and in Tuesday’s latest padded session, coach Mike Macdonald’s crew got the first and last laugh, particularly when the first-team defense tested their mettle against Darnold and the first-team offense in head-to-head battles between projected starters.

On the first team session of the practice, with Darnold and company starting inside the opposing 35-yard line, the gunslinger tried to squeeze a pass over the middle to Smith-Njigba, only for cornerback Josh Jobe to reach out and get a small piece of the football to tip it up into the air. Flying over from his safety position, Ty Okada laid out like Superman without a cape and managed to get both hands underneath the deflection before it hit the ground for a spectacular interception in the end zone.

While Darnold did link up with Smith-Njigba for a 46-yard completion and Cody White on a diving 48-yard touchdown during the 1-on-1 competition period, the first team offense only scored a single touchdown during 11-on-11 scrimmage periods, and that came on a 20-yard Smith-Njigba fade that was actually covered quite well by rookie cornerback Michael Dansby. This included a stout showing by Ernest Jones and the rest of the “Dark Side” defense during a simulated two-minute end of game situation to close out practice.

On two different occasions - including the second time in the red zone - Seattle’s stingy defense forced Darnold and the offense into fourth down situations. Forcing the quarterback to vacate the pocket on the first instance, Darnold’s throw towards the right sideline got tipped and Jones nearly intercepted the pass along the sideline, still creating a turnover on downs regardless. Moments later, a botched snap on fourth down brought practice to an ugly end with Macdonald not willing to give the offense a do-over despite pleas from members of the coaching staff.

### **2\. Velus Jones Jr. continues to show up as an uncomfortable matchup in the passing game out of the backfield.**

While backs have dropped like flies in the past week and change, including Jadarian Price missing four practices total with leg soreness and Emanuel Wilson appearing to tweak a hamstring during a team scrimmage session on Tuesday, Jones has been the one playmaking constant out of the backfield for Seattle. After opening camp listed as a receiver, he has kept putting those hands to good use, just in a different way than originally anticipated.

Playing in an offense coordinated by Brian Fleury that puts more demands on running backs route tree-wise, Jones has an inherent advantage over the rest of the Seahawks ball carriers due to his previous history playing receiver in the league. Armed with legit 4.3 speed and soft hands, deploying him from out of the backfield creates ideal matchups against linebackers and safeties who don’t have the wheels to cover him in space or downfield.

Even with Ernest Jones, who intercepted five passes last season to tie for the league lead among linebackers, drawing him in coverage, Velus Jones turned on the rocket boosters to leave the All-Pro linebacker in the dust on a wheel route. To Ernest Jones’ credit, he managed to make up some ground at the top of the route, but Drew Lock put it on the running back’s back shoulder and allowed him to reel it in before diving inside the pylon for a 20-yard touchdown catch.

This marked the second time in the past four practices where Jones’ speed proved to be a major mismatch for Seattle’s athletic linebackers, as he left Drake Thomas grasping for air on a swing route during Saturday’s Fan Fest session at Lumen Field. His burst also has been on display in the run game, including a 15-yard run on a trap play where he accelerated downhill behind a kickout block from Mason Richman and rapidly got to the second level.

With Price still limited on Tuesday and Wilson’s status up in the air, Jones should get a ton of run in the upcoming preseason opener against the Cowboys, likely starting with an opportunity to continue to impress as a multi-faceted backfield weapon.

### **3\. The clear-cut No. 2 quarterback, Drew Lock flashed his elite arm talent winging the pigskin all over the field.**

Rebounding from a difficult first couple of camp practices, Jalen Milroe has kept momentum rolling in the right direction in the third week of camp, demonstrating improved accuracy and proficiency reading through his progressions. But even with that encouraging progress, he hasn’t closed the gap much - if at all - on Lock for the backup gig behind Darnold, and the veteran signal caller showed off his elite arm talent on multiple jaw-dropping throws in Tuesday’s practice.

In terms of difficulty, Lock may have completed the most challenging throw so far in camp early in the first team session, zipping a fastball between cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett and safety D’Anthony Bell before they could get their hands up for a deflection. Blending incredible velocity and touch at the same time, he feathered the pass right over the top of the two defenders to hit Cody White along the sideline for a 15-yard reception, leaving the defenders to look at their hands afterward wondering how they didn’t manage to make a play on the football.

Later in the practice, Lock connected on the aforementioned 20-yard touchdown to Jones, doing so throwing off of his back foot with pressure bearing down on him off the side. With just a flick of his wrist and not much drive into the throw to speak of, he still lofted a near-perfect ball to the running back as he beat Ernest Jones over the top for the scoring toss.

Putting a bow on arguably his best practice of camp to this point, Lock closed up shop with another impressive touchdown pass during the final team period for the second offensive unit. This time, Elijah Arroyo managed to break past safety AJ Finley on a fade route from the slot, and the quarterback took a couple steps to his right in the pocket before launching a picturesque deep ball that landed right in the tight end’s hands for an 18-yard score.

While it’s still possible Milroe may be the future backup for Seattle and his improvements this summer have opened the door wider for that possibility to happen in 2027, that time does not appear to be now, as Lock still holds the edge over him with not just experience, but raw arm talent and improved decision making.

### **4\. Positive progress for Price and Nick Emmanwori, while clarity on Robbie Ouzts’ situation comes into focus.**

After Macdonald indicated that the Seahawks weren’t going to rush Price back into action on Monday, the rookie runner out of Notre Dame took the field with padded pants on, hinting that he may jump right into the fray after missing four practices. However, that wasn’t the case, as he spent most of his time on the field running sprints along with cornerback Julian Neal, who had full pads on but still didn’t do anything in individual or team drills in his second day back from a leg injury.

Still, seeing Price running after not participating for close to a week signifies an encouraging step forward, and the same can be said for Emmanwori, who passed his physical on Tuesday morning just three weeks after undergoing ankle surgery. The second-year safety didn’t run, but he did hit the field to work on some pass rush footwork and technique with an assistant coach early in practice and should gradually ramp up his activity in coming days with hopes of practicing at some point in the next few weeks.

Unfortunately, while Price and Emmanwori appear to be closer to fully returning, the same cannot be said for Ouzts, who Seattle placed on injured reserve earlier on Tuesday, bringing his season to an abrupt end. Per a team source, the second-year fullback has been dealing with a lingering neck injury dating back to the end of last season, but the organization remains optimistic that this won’t be a career-threatening issue and that he will be able to return healthy in 2027.

As far as new injuries for the Seahawks, Wilson and defensive end Derick Hall limped off the field with apparent leg injuries. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed also left practice early and came back out in street clothes for the remainder of the afternoon.