By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Three defensive starters for Seahawks return to practice

A game removed from their best defensive effort of the season the Seattle Seahawks defense saw the return of three starters. Safety Juian Love,  cornerbacks  Riq Woolen and  Devon Witherspoon returned to practice Wednesday afternoon. Although their participation was listed as limited, it was still a positive sign for the pair who have missed the last two  Seahawks games. In those two games, the Seahawks went 1-1, losing to the  Buccaneers  38-35 and then beating the  Jaguars  20-12. Woolen suffered a concussion in the Buccaneers game and never made it back for the  Jaguars win.

Frustrating season for  Witherspoon

Witherspoon has had a frustrating start to the season. He started the season opener against the Niners, missed the next two games due to a knee injury, and returned for the Cardinals game and played all 67 defensive snaps. In the game, Witherspoon looked rusty and missed the Seahawks’ next two games. The team has been cautious with his recovery, and it is a surprise that he is back before next week’s bye week. After Monday’s game with the Texans, the Seahawks will have their official bye of the season. You have to figure Witherspoon is close to being fully healthy. The return of Witherspoon would be a boost to the Seahawks’ secondary, which has been inconsistent when defending the pass.  Josh Jobe has emerged as a good cornerbac,k but has yet to show he is an elite cornerback.

Back end of the defense  quarterback

Love’s path to the inactive list, then back to the practice field, is somewhat similar to that of Witherspoon.   A nagging hamstring injury saw Love start the Seahawks’ first two games,  miss the Saints return for the Cardinals game, and then miss the team’s next two games.  Ty Okada stepped in for Love and held his own. What Okada was unable to provide was the experience needed to call coverage scheme for the back end of the defense. Having Love back, a former Pro Bowler and defensive leader, will enable  Mike Macdonald to dial up more complicated defenses.

Looking for consistency

Woolen has had an up-and-down season, and there have been rumors of him being on the trading block. What is known is that Woolen is a starter for the Seahawks, and the team has been clear that while he has the skills to be a top-notch cornerback, his play has been inconsistent. Macdonald has said that he believes in Woolen as he does with all of his players and that players have to earn their minutes through healthy and spirited competition.

Discover more from Cascadiasports.net

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply