RENTON — That the Seahawks could have a different-looking starting secondary when they play the Steelers on Sunday in Pittsburgh was affirmed by coach Mike Macdonald during his weekly news conference Wednesday.
Asked if cornerback Riq Woolen will start, Macdonald said, “We’ll see.”
That seemed to add validity to Macdonald saying on Monday that Josh Jobe is “competing for more snaps” with the implication that those would come at the expense of Woolen, who was on the end of two of the critical plays on the final drive that allowed the 49ers to steal a 17-13 win over the Seahawks on Sunday at Lumen Field.
The Seahawks may have other issues to deal with in their cornerbacks corps besides just Woolen’s situation as they prepare for Sunday’s game.
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who starts alongside Woolen in the base defense, did not practice Wednesday with what the team listed as a knee injury.
Witherspoon was standing on the sidelines during the portion of practice open to the media.
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Witherspoon went down hard when he collided with teammate Coby Bryant as the two arrived on the scene as Jobe picked off a Brock Purdy pass intended for Ricky Pearsall with just over seven minutes left in the game.
Witherspoon rolled over on the turf face down and was slow to get up. He returned to play the rest of the game, listed as on the field for all 76 defensive snaps.
If Witherspoon were forced to miss the game it might make any decision regarding Woolen a moot point.
The other cornerbacks on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster are second-year player Nehemiah Pritchett and Derion Kendrick, who was claimed off waivers from the Rams in late August.
They have veteran Shaquill Griffin on the practice squad as well as Shemar Jean-Charles.
If the Seahawks are without Witherspoon, Griffin seems the most likely option to move into a significant role alongside Jobe and Woolen. He was elevated for Sunday’s game but did not play on either defense or special teams.
Kendrick could also be an option. While he played almost solely on the outside in making 18 starts with the Rams in 2022-23, he played significantly at slot corner in the preseason. The Seahawks picked him up because of how they saw him play in those games. Jean-Charles has some experience playing in the slot in 29 NFL games. He got two starts last year with the Saints.
Pritchett played 151 snaps last season and got one start, but mostly has played as a wide corner.
Regardless, if Witherspoon were to miss the game, Woolen would undoubtedly stay in the starting lineup with Jobe moving into it with him. The Seahawks would have to figure out the lineup for the nickel defense.
Jobe played 61 snaps Sunday, entering when the team was in a nickel defense with Witherspoon moving inside.
Along with his interception, Jobe allowed just one reception in 36 coverage snaps and earned a 90.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, third-best of all NFL corners.
“Guys coming in, earning their opportunities, developing, growing as players, as people, that’s what he’s done,” Macdonald said of Jobe, who signed to the practice squad last August after being released by the Eagles. He moved into a regular role when Tre Brown was injured at midseason.
Woolen misplayed a pass to Pearsall late in the fourth quarter that turned into a 45-yard gain two plays after the Seahawks had taken a 13-10 lead on a Jason Myers field goal that followed the Jobe pick.
He also gave up a 4-yard TD from Purdy to reserve tight end Jake Tonges for what turned into the winning TD.
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Woolen spoke briefly to reporters before practice Wednesday and said of the pass to Pearsall that, “I knew what type of route it was. I just got to execute and attack the ball and not lose track of the ball.”
He likewise said he needed to “attack the ball” better on the Tonges reception. “That’s pretty much it.”
As for Macdonald’s assertion that it’s unclear if he’ll start Sunday, Woolen said “he’s the head man, so whatever he say goes’’ and that “I know that coach wants to have his best players out there.”
Macdonald on Monday noted it was unfair to pin the loss solely on Woolen, noting the game was decided by far more than two plays.
And Woolen said he wasn’t going to have any problem moving on from the loss.
“Next play, next opportunity type of thing,” he said. “You can’t just get stuck on the opportunity that you failed on.”
Macdonald also portrayed the idea of a Woolen-Jobe competition as a good sign that the Seahawks have multiple players who are worthy of starting.
He likened it to the weakside linebacker spot, where Drake Thomas is vying for more snaps with starter Tyrice Knight.
“It’s great,” Macdonald said. “Our guys are getting better. That just tells you, we have multiple people that have earned rights to play. That’s good for us, people are going to get better from the competition.”
As for how Woolen is handling it, Macdonald noted that Woolen had to compete to keep his job last season, specifically following a December game against the Vikings when he was benched for the first series for a violation of team rules and allowed a late touchdown that won the game for Minnesota.
“We had a similar situation last year, and every person had a conversation about what their role is going to be,’’ Macdonald said. “You need to operate like that as a coaching staff and keep it real with them. But they’ve been tremendous. Tell them with love, tell them the truth, and let’s go to work.”
Woolen, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, said he won’t rock the boat regardless of Macdonald’s decision.
“All I can do is be a great teammate and a great player and that’s it,’’ he said.
Waiting on Emmanwori decision
Safety Nick Emmanwori was the only other player listed as not participating in practice after he suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday.
Macdonald said Monday the team would potentially make a roster move to put him on injured reserve by Wednesday. But for now, the team is keeping him on the active roster.
“I think we’re going to take it throughout the week to decide what we’re going to do,” Macdonald said.
One reason, he said, is to have more time to assess how Emmanwori is recovering. Going on IR would mean he has to miss four games. If the team thinks he might return more quickly he could stay on the active roster.
“That’s a big part of it, yeah,’’ Macdonald said.
Nwosu, Bobo full participants
Receiver Jake Bobo (concussion) and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (knee) were listed as full participants in practice Wednesday after missing the San Francisco game.
Nwosu is coming back from offseason knee surgery and would likely be on a snap count if he plays Sunday. Macdonald said anything from Nwosu would be a big bonus for Seattle.
“It’s going to be awesome, whenever he gets back, just to have him out there,’’ Macdonald said.
The Seahawks also listed linebacker Ernest Jones IV (shoulder), safety Julian Love (groin), defensive tackle Jarran Reed (back) and receiver Dareke Young (hamstring) as limited.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.