A lack of true star power on either side of the ball was one of the critiques of the Seattle Seahawks’ roster heading into the 2024 season.
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The Seahawks have a number of good players with proven track records, but not necessarily ones on the same level as superstars like Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson, San Francisco edge rusher Nick Bosa or Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
On the defensive side of the ball, two of the closest players Seattle has to that superstar mold are defensive lineman Leonard Williams and cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
Both have the pedigree of being high draft picks. Williams was taken No. 6 overall in 2015, while Witherspoon went with the fifth pick in 2023.
Both carry high expectations due to what Seattle gave up to get them, too. Last year’s trade with the New York Giants for Williams cost second- and fifth-round picks, then Seattle signed him to a three-year, $64 million deal to remain in the Pacific Northwest. Witherspoon was one of the draft picks the team acquired in the Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos, and the team passed up on other needs to take him at No. 5 overall.
However, a look at the stat sheet doesn’t show a whole lot of production from either player in 2024.
Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus was asked if the team is getting enough out of the pair Tuesday during Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.
Leonard Williams
Williams totaled 37 solo tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 18 games last season, including four sacks and nine tackles for loss in 10 games after being traded to the Seahawks.
In five games this season, he has six solo tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits. But Seattle has also continued to struggle against the run with Williams as a leader on the defensive front.
“He’s on pace to do exactly what he did last year this year, so I don’t think there’s gonna be a drop off,” Bumpus said. “But I think that when you cannot stop the run, you look at the guy who’s getting paid the most on the line and saying, ‘Where you at? How come you’re not contributing to this?’ But as you know, there are five offensive linemen. You throw a tight end in there, then you got six guys on the line. … It’s not just him by himself. He’s not gonna be able to do everything himself. His job is to help everyone else.”
A closer look at Pro Football Focus grading and some of the advanced stats show some favorable numbers for Williams.
His 75.1 PFF grade is 11th among 121 qualified interior defensive lineman, and only teammate Jarran Reed (10th) is in front of him in the NFC West. His 74.8 grade against the run also ranks eighth overall.
And despite just having 1.5 sacks, he’s tied for the team lead the team in quarterback hits and has a 16.1% pass-rush win rate that is tied Baltimore’s Nnamdi Madubuike, who was touted for his stellar last season in Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme.
“I think with Leonard Williams, he plays a position where you’re not gonna get a lot of love,” Bumpus said. “Leonard Williams is not here to get a bunch of sacks. If he does, for sure, we will accept that. But he’s here just to make life hectic in the box. On a defense, everything is connected. If he does his job, the guy next to him does his job, the other guy does his job, then you create havoc and then linebackers are free to make tackles and maybe you’re able to get into the backfield and do a bit more.
“Also, let’s remember Leonard Williams was banged-up and missed a game (Week 4 against Detroit) and it was (an injury to his) ribs. All you’re doing in the box is you’re fighting, you’re pushing, you’re twisting. There’s constant contact. And when I watched him the last game (against San Francisco), he didn’t seem 100%. He didn’t play bad, but it just didn’t seem like he was 100%.”
Devon Witherspoon
Witherspoon broke out with a massive rookie campaign, earning a Pro Bowl nomination and finishing fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting last season.
In 14 games, he stuffed the stat sheet with 56 solo tackles, 16 passes defended, eight tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble and a pick-six.
Through six games this season, he has just 22 solo tackles and one pass defended.
“A (defensive back) can get lost if he’s not creating picks or he’s not getting passes defended or he’s not coming up with the big hits that we saw Devon Witherspoon do last year,” Bumpus said.
Bumpus pointed out that a lack of stats for a defensive back can be a result of well-played coverage.
“A good play for Devin Witherspoon, you won’t even notice him,” Bumpus explained. “He’ll be in Cover 2, he has the flat, he forces the receiver outside out of bounds, he rallies down to the football and takes away the running back that ran an arrow or swing (route), the quarterback looks his way, then he goes the other way because (Witherspoon) played it beautifully.”
Witherspoon also grades out favorably with PFF. He’s ranked 18th among 102 qualified corners with a 75.0 defensive grade, just three spots behind touted Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II. And only teammate Riq Woolen (10th) is ahead of him in the NFC West.
“Can he make more plays? I think so. I think there are some plays that have been left out there, but that’s (the same) for every football player who’s gonna line up and play some ball on Sunday,” Bumpus said. “Is he having the production that he had last year? No, not yet. But I’m not sitting here panicking … I think he’s doing a great job right now just taking some things away.”
Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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