Seattle Seahawks cornerback Derion Kendrick snagged his second interception in as many weeks in the Hawks’ dismantling of the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. He could have had more. The third-year player out of Georgia had his hands on two other passes from Spencer Rattler.
It was part of another strong game from a player John Schneider claimed off waivers after he was released by the Rams in late August.
Kendrick was picked up as a depth piece. At the time, Seattle appeared to have a pretty solid group at cornerback led by Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon missed the Saints game, as did safeties Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori. It led some fans to worry whether Mike Macdonald’s backups would be ready for the challenge.
Derion Kendrick goes from afterthought to budding star in a matter of weeks for the Seahawks
They answered that question early and often. Safeties Ty Okada and D’Anthony Bell were all over the field. And so was Derion Kendrick.
Kendrick was a sixth-round draft pick of the Rams back in 2021. His surprisingly slow 40 time (4.79) may have led to him slipping in the draft. He had initially gone to Clemson as a wide receiver but ended up transitioning to defense before finishing his college career at Georgia. With the Rams, he was developing into a reliable corner when a knee injury robbed him of his third season in 2024.
He came to the Seahawks to provide depth behind starters Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Josh Jobe, and quickly established himself as the fourth corner ahead of veteran Shaq Griffin. When everyone is healthy, Spoon and Jobe can trade off manning the slot, but with the Hawks’ top corner out this week, Jobe stayed on the perimeter the entire game opposite Woolen.
When the Saints went to three receivers, Kendrick forgot the call to play in the slot. In a word, he was outstanding.
When playing man coverage, Kendrick often had to follow the Saints' best receiver, Chris Olave. He did surrender a couple of short outs to the New Orleans’ star, but he shut those plays down quickly, allowing no yards after the catch.
When playing zone, which Seattle did for much of the game, Kendrick was at his best. He has a great awareness of where the soft spots are on the field, perhaps owing to his time as a receiver. He drops very well, which allowed him to get his hands on two passes while in zone.
He wasn’t able to secure interceptions on either of those, but he did get one late in the game when Rattler was trying to convert a fourth down throw.
It may not be quite as impressive as last week’s pick off of Aaron Rodgers, but Kendrick has now doubled his career interception total in just a couple weeks with Seattle.
In addition to leading the team with three pass break-ups, Kendrick made four tackles on Sunday. Whether lining up tight in the slot or deep in a safety position, Kendrick has already proven to be a willing tackler.
On one early screen, he took on an offensive lineman, which allowed Coby Bryant to come up and make the tackle. On a few other plays, Kendrick made strong tackles in the middle of the field.
When Witherspoon and Emmanwori are back on the field, Kendrick is likely to see his time dwindle. But he was good against the Steelers and even better against the Saints. He is showing that he is a reliable depth piece if needed, but has gone farther, potentially earning some extra snaps even when everyone is healthy.