Yet another Seahawks DB is shining off the bench

Published 9:30 am Tuesday, September 23, 2025

It is hard to imagine any member of the Seattle Seahawks being pissed off after the 44-13 win over the New Orleans Saints, but that is indeed how cornerback Derion Kendrick described his emotions inside a celebratory locker room Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field.

“I’m supposed to have four picks right now,” Kendrick said, “but I’ll take it.”

Kendrick is Seattle’s backup nickel. He was waived by the Los Angeles Rams after the preseason and then claimed by the Seahawks on Aug. 27. Since Kendrick’s arrival, defensive backs coach Karl Scott and assistant DB coach Neiko Thorpe have spent extra time getting the fourth-year cornerback up to speed.

Seattle has needed Kendrick to start in place of Devon Witherspoon (knee) for the past two weeks.

In those games, Kendrick has five passes defended, tied for second-most in the league (all stats provided by TruMedia unless stated otherwise). He is one of five defenders with multiple interceptions this season. His first came on a tip drill against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, and his second came Sunday when Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler threw across his body on fourth down in the fourth quarter.

“We made DK feel (like) a part of the team as soon as he came in,” safety D’Anthony Bell said. “He came in talking on the first day. We love his personality. We love him as a player. And we’re doing whatever to embrace him and help him learn the defense.”

Kendrick’s mindset after picking off Rattler on Sunday reflects the attitude of the defense in coach Mike Macdonald’s second season. They limited the Saints to just one touchdown — the second consecutive week they’ve only surrendered one trip into the end zone — but Macdonald’s guys feel that Rattler’s 13-yard toss to tight end Jack Stoll in the fourth quarter of a blowout should never have even happened.

“Even though we had a couple of mistakes today, it kind of gets ignored by how much good we did,” cornerback Riq Woolen said. “But we’re so great of a team that we were pissed off about the mistakes today.”

One of those “mistakes” — as Kendrick would probably call it — was a dropped interception in the first quarter. Rattler tried to lob a pass over Kendrick’s head to receiver Chris Olave in front of the Saints’ sideline. The second-year quarterback didn’t put enough air under it, and Kendrick was able to leap and make a play on it. However, the ball ended up flying through his hands and falling incomplete.

For the second consecutive week, Kendrick has had a potential turnover slip through his fingers. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a ball that hit Kendrick in the facemask last week. He later picked off Rodgers on a play with a much higher degree of difficulty. That’s why Kendrick feels he should have four interceptions instead of two, even though his total leads the team through three games.

“(Kendrick) has to go to the Leslie Frazier school of ball drills,” Macdonald joked after the game.

The fact that Kendrick was in a position to make those plays, despite spending training camp with a different team, is a product of Macdonald’s culture and his coaching staff. Every team swears by the “next man up” mantra, but the Seahawks’ secondary has been living it for the past year. That mindset is why players like Josh Jobe and Coby Bryant are not only in the starting lineup but also consistently making plays (and are on track for pay raises this offseason). And it’s why Seattle’s defense hasn’t missed a beat the last couple of weeks with Kendrick filling in for Witherspoon.

“When I got there in L.A., when DK was coming in, you could tell he was still trying to find the maturity aspect of it,” said linebacker Ernest Jones IV, Kendrick’s teammate with the Rams for two seasons. “For the 2-3 weeks I’ve been around him (in Seattle), the guy is a different dude now. It’s a credit to the guys in the locker room who are in his position, who are in his ear.

“DK is a baller. DK is a bona fide ball hawk. Put him in great positions, he’s going to go out there and make plays. I’m truly proud of him.”

On Sunday, the Seahawks were also without veteran safety Julian Love (hamstring). His replacement, Ty Okada, made his first career start, recorded nine total tackles and split a sack with defensive tackle Leonard Williams. Second-round rookie Nick Emmanwori missed his second straight game with a high-ankle sprain. He’s been temporarily replaced by Bell, a practice squad call-up who had a tackle for loss and a blocked punt in the first quarter.

“Kudos to those players,” Jones said. “They come in, they dominate. Whoever is up, we have the utmost confidence in whoever that is.”

Witherspoon, Love and Emmanwori were limited participants in Friday’s practice. Witherspoon went through a pregame workout on Sunday morning but “just couldn’t get there,” Macdonald said. The Seahawks might have some of their starters back against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday. However, if they don’t, the other starters know their reserves will be ready to play their part.

“It starts with how we practice,” outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. “The way we prepare, the type of guys we’ve got on our team, everybody is itching to make plays. Everybody is itching to be out there. Everybody always has that ‘next man up’ mentality, and that’s the way we practice.”

Macdonald’s defense is allowing 15.7 points per game, second only to the Green Bay Packers (14.7). Running backs are averaging just 3.2 yards per attempt against Seattle, which is one of only three teams yet to allow a tailback to run for a touchdown. The defense has swagger and confidence, two traits that players feel were established in the spring and summer. Regardless of the opponent or the new faces on the field, the expectation is dominance, particularly up front.

“It’s going to be tough to run the ball against us,” Jones said, “just because of the mindset and the physicality that we play (with).”

This all stems from Macdonald’s makeup. When asked about Kendrick having two turnovers in two weeks, the first thing Macdonald mentioned was the fact that he should have more interceptions. Asked about Okada’s first start, all Macdonald could offer without reviewing the film was that the third-year safety “made some plays.” And that his sack came with an unnecessary roughness penalty for lifting Rattler (the flag was on Williams).

Macdonald doesn’t do this to be rude or intentionally downplay the standout moments his players produce. He’s wired to constantly think about how his team can improve. His “chasing edges” mantra was born out of this thinking. Greatness is the standard, so when it is achieved, they celebrate for a moment, then immediately search for ways to be even greater the next time out.

The players are slowly taking on the identity of their head coach, and it’s leading to high-level performance on the field, regardless of the lineup.

“It’s just our culture, man,” Woolen said. “The way we practice, it’s just a testament to us buying in, trusting our culture, trusting our coaches and trusting ourselves.”