Seahawks Opt to Hold Out Devon Witherspoon vs. Steelers

Despite going through a lengthy pre-game workout at Acrisure Stadium to test his injured knee, the Seattle Seahawks will be without starting cornerback Devon Witherspoon for Sunday’s Week 2 road opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After bruising his knee on the same play where fellow cornerback Josh Jobe intercepted 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in the season opener, Witherspoon stayed in the game for the rest of the final quarter. However, he didn’t practice at all this week, receiving a doubtful designation on Friday. The Seahawks had him jogging and running sprints for 15-20 minutes prior to the inactives being announced, but he apparently wasn’t good enough to convince coach Mike Macdonald and trainers into letting him suit up.

Without Witherspoon and safety Nick Emmanwori, who will miss Sunday’s game with a high ankle sprain, it remains to be seen how the Seahawks will proceed with the slot cornerback position in nickel and dime sets. Among possible options to plug into the lineup, former Rams starter Derion Kendrick and safety D’Anthony Bell, who was promoted from the practice squad as a game day elevation, have limited experience playing inside. Safety Coby Bryant also played extensive snaps in the slot as a rookie in 2022 and Bell or Ty Okada could play the other safety spot if they move him out of necessity to the nickel role.

Witherspoon and Emmanwori will be the only inactives on Sunday due to injury, as Seattle will hold out rookie Jalen Milroe as an emergency quarterback only after logging a carry against San Francisco in his NFL debut. He won’t be eligible to sub in for specific packages and can only play if Sam Darnold and Drew Lock both suffer injuries and cannot return.

Capping off the Seahawks’ Week 2 inactives, with veteran Uchenna Nwosu set to make his 2025 debut coming off offseason knee surgery, undrafted rookie outside linebackers Jared Ivey and Connor O’Toole will be healthy scratches for a second straight week. Tackle Mason Richman and tight end Nick Kallerup will also be in street clothes for a second consecutive game.

For the Steelers, there weren’t any notable surprises on their final inactives list, as starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr., safety Deshon Elliott, and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon were ruled out on Friday. In addition, guards Andrus Peat and Max Scharping as well as defensive end Esezi Otomewo will be out.