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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 07: Devon Witherspoon #21 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts during the first half of the NFL 2025 game between San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on September 07, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Amanda Loman / Getty Images)
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said he's optimistic about the status of cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safety Nick Emmanwori this week, though he noted the team is a bit more nicked up than he believed coming out of Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Witherspoon missed Sunday's game with a knee injury that Macdonald called a bruised MCL on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, Emmanwori is recovering from a high-ankle sprain sustained in the Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
"I would say we're optimistic," Macdonald said of Witherspoon and Emmanwori.
Assuming it's accurate, Macdonald revealing Witherspoon's injury is just a bruise should be considered highly encouraging. Witherspoon was hurt while colliding with safety Coby Bryant as cornerback Josh Jobe intercepted Brock Purdy in the loss to the 49ers. While a bruise can be enough to keep a player out in the short-term, there should be no lingering problems when he's able to return to action.
Emmanwori's high-ankle sprain can be far more of a long-term issue, but the team electing not to put him on injured reserve last week speaks to their belief he will be back sooner than the four-game absence required by the injured reserve would allow.
"Look, anytime you're talking about possibly going in a game without practicing, that's the dangerous game to play, not one we want to play consistently," Macdonald said of Witherspoon and Emmanwori's chances this week. "I think with Spoon, he's probably a guy that we'd be more inclined to do that with and probably not so much with Nick. Nick probably needs more reps than Spoon right now, but we'll see. We'll see how it goes on Wednesday and Thursday with those two.
After Sunday's win, Macdonald said he had no injuries to report. Center Jalen Sundell briefly left the game with cramping in the fourth quarter, and linebacker Derick Hall was briefly sidelined with an undisclosed issue as well.
"We had some guys, some things pop up this morning, so we’ll probably have some more info for you on Wednesday or Thursday as the week plays out. It wasn't as clean as we initially anticipated," Macdonald said.
It could be somewhat similar to last week when safety Julian Love was limited due to a groin injury and defensive tackle Jarran Reed was also limited with a back issue. Both players ultimately ended up playing in Pittsburgh.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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