Seahawks trade of Ahkello Witherspoon to Steelers is worrisome

The Seahawks seem to think a lot about their pass rush in 2021 because it might overcome the issues Seattle might have at cornerback. How else to explain that Seattle just before the season begins keeps making moves at the position in order to find the right answer to the group this year?

On Friday, the Seahawks traded Ahkello Witherspoon to the Steelers for a fifth-round pick in 2023. Witherspoon had just been signed this offseason by Seattle in hopes of replacing Shaquill Griffin who left in free agency. Seattle must have thought Witherspoon was more in the mold of a classic Pete Carroll corner because is tall and lanky.

Of course, Witherspoon showed in preseason that he has faults. Against the Broncos in preseason game two Witherspoon easily got beat on a crossing pattern for 35 yards to help set up Denver’s first touchdown drive. I am not saying Witherspoon was going to be good for Seattle this season but Seattle thought he was going to be and that’s why they signed him in free agency.

Seahawks trade Ahkello Witherspoon and that’s not a good sign

Now Seattle has enough cap space to have signed Shaquill Griffin all along instead of cycle through players trying to replace him. Griffin wasn’t perfect but he is likely better than any cornerback the Seahawks currently have on their roster.

So Witherspoon is gone and Sidney Jones has for all intents and purposes replaced him. Seattle traded for Jones earlier this week. I am sure many 12s thought Jones was going to end up replacing Tre Flowers somehow but Flowers was named the starter over Witherspoon. There is no guarantee Flowers is going to be good and there is no guarantee that Jones is any better than Flowers.

In fact, D.J. Reed better be what he was in 2020, which means a very pleasant surprise after not doing much earlier in his career with the 49ers, for the whole season in 2021 or the Seahawks are going to be really hurting at corner. Flowers is iffy at best. Jones is an unknown in a Seattle uniform. Rookie Tre Brown is struggling with injury already. Reed hasn’t proven himself over an entire season, let alone seasons.

But what makes the Witherspoon most worrisome isn’t that Witherspoon is gone but that it is clear the Seahawks don’t have much faith in the group of corners they currently have because they keep trying to find ones that will be good. Even if the pass rush is good the corners will be exposed and that is a truly bad thing for a team trying to make a deep playoff run this season.