As Witherspoon noted, the Seahawks have played well in his absence, but having him back adds another element to Seattle's defense, both in terms of playmaking and energy he brings to the defense.
"I'm excited for him," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "Our team is excited to play with him again. He's one of the guys that just adds such great energy and competitiveness and spirit to our defense. And to his credit, you felt him on the sideline when he wasn't playing, him and really all those other guys who haven't been playing have been awesome, helping the guys out between series and cheering them on from the sideline. But it will be great to have him out there."
And while Witherspoon has missed time this season, he has stayed engaged and has been a valuable teammate.
"He's just so locked in," defensive coordinator Aden Durde said. "He loves football. You can tell that he passionately loves football. He watches it, learns it, communicates it, and teaches other players. When he works with Nick (Emmanwori), he's going to improve Nick now that he's on the field because he talks. He talks to D-line when he's on the field, tells them stuff that's coming. He is a true pro."
Safety Nick Emmanwori, a second-round pick who, like Witherspoon, has shown to be a playmaker in a nickel role, is excited to share the field with Witherspoon after he exited early in the opener with an ankle injury, meaning they have barely played together this season.
"I'm super excited to play with Spoon on the field," Emmanwori said. "Even the practice time we got together, he's a great player to get out there and play with. The way he communicates, he gives me confidence to go out there and play with him, like, 'I've got Spoon out there with me, I can control what's going on.' He's just a great dude. You want to be with Spoon on the field at all times. He's a dog, he's a competitor, and he makes the defense feel connected when we're out there."