Seattle Seahawks DL Leonard Williams Raves About 'Physical, Rowdy' Devon Witherspoon

After playing part of the 2023 season together, Devon Witherspoon has earned the respect of Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen prepare for the snap during a positional drill at Seahawks minicamp.
Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen prepare for the snap during a positional drill at Seahawks minicamp. / Corbin Smith/All Seahawks
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Returning the Seattle Seahawks defense to respectability after several underwhelming seasons will take a group effort in order to succeed under new head coach Mike Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde.

However, each unit needs its leaders, and for the Seahawks defense, that's veteran defensive lineman Leonard Williams and second-year cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

Williams spoke Witherspoon's praises during OTA's earlier this week, admiring him for his infectious energy and hard-hitting style.

“I think Spoon (Devon Witherspoon) is a great player," Williams said. "When I got traded here in the middle of the season last year, I was just like, ’Dang, who is this guy?’ He does have just very outrageous energy and in a great way and also for a small guy, he plays very physical and rowdy."

As the No. 5 overall pick last year, Witherspoon could have come into the league a bit nervous, but he played with a certain swagger right from the jump.

"Corners are usually quieter guys, they're more finesse guys a lot of times where it's like this guy wants to put his face in there, get dirty, and I love seeing that in the secondary," Williams said. "Going into this season, what I was just talking about, all the multiple guys we have up front and then knowing that we have those guys in the back-end, I'm really excited about playing in this defense honestly.”

One player can't make a football team, but if there is a certain type of trust among the players, it can really translate to wins on the field come the fall.

Now with a full offseason under their belts in Seattle, Williams and Witherspoon can truly lead the Seahawks defense to new heights.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.