Cornerback Devon Witherspoon was named by the NFL as the lone Seahawks representative to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, the NFL announced Thursday.
“It’s his second year, and he’s grown so much as a leader and someone we’re going to depend on for a long time here,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said after the Dec. 26 win over the Chicago Bears. “We love him, and it’s because of the energy and the competitiveness and the person and his love of the game and love for his teammates. It’s infectious. How can you not play 1,000 percent when 21 is on the field doing the stuff that he does?”
The biggest Seahawks snub, both in size and impact, would seem to be 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive end Leonard Williams, the NFL’s fourth-ranked interior defender by Pro Football Focus. Williams was named an alternate, along with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, punter Michael Dickson, safety Julian Love and linebacker Boye Mafe.
It’s likely a few Seahawks alternates will find their way to the Feb. 2 event at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Players who will participate in the Feb. 9 Super Bowl will be ruled out, along with any Pro Bowlers suffering from injuries. Playing in the Super Bowl will not be a roadblock for Seattle, which was eliminated from the playoffs last Sunday.
Smith-Njigba was the only Seahawks offensive player named as an alternate. Given the performance of the offensive line, quarterback Geno Smith and injuries to skill position players such as Kenneth Walker III and DK Metcalf, this was not surprising. The offense has sputtered at times under first-year NFL offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
The Pro Bowl event features a much different look than years ago when the best from NFC and AFC played in tackle football games in Honolulu. The game deteriorated in recent years, as players chose to to avoid risking injuries and their non-guaranteed contracts. In 2022, the NFL changed the format to a flag football contest as the main event in an effort to slow the drop in TV ratings.
The Pro Bowl nod for Witherspoon is another indication of the young cornerback’s promising present and future.
Witherspoon’s pass defense has been solid this season. Though just 6 feet and 185 pounds, it’s plays in the run game that have stood out for the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Witherspoon’s PFF run defense grade is 90.2, third-best among cornerbacks.
“He plays with his hair on fire,” Macdonald said. “You talk about shocking effort, and if you want to shock people, watch 21 play. We talk about ball finding energy, and it kind of all comes together with Spoon.”
Witherspoon joins Rufus Porter, Lofa Tatupu, Earl Thomas, Russell Wilson and Fredd Young as Seahawks to earn Pro Bowl nods in each of their first two NFL seasons.
This story originally appeared in seattlesportsnow.com, of which Aaron Coe is a co-founder.
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