Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald might be a true defensive genius. He has a good group of players, of course, but Macdonald's scheme augments the players. Plus, clearly, some players are better fits in the design than others.
Too many players who have played for Macdonald, even going back to his days as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, have taken a second-year leap in productivity. Many don't even wait that long and are good immediately. Then there are players like Riq Woolen.
Woolen was meh in 2024, his first year in the head coach's scheme, and he has been terrible this year. In fact, rumors have been swirling that he could be traded, as he is unlikely to get paid much by Seattle in free agency next offseason. The question is what the secondary would look like without him.
Seattle Seahawks CB Derion Kendrick might be playing his way to replace Riq Woolen
The issue has been compounded by injuries to several key players for the Seahawks. Safeties Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori have missed time, and so has Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Even in their absences and Woolen's poor play, the defense has been very good. That is partly because of Derion Kendrick.
Kendrick was an unsung waiver wire pick-up who had a bit of a sketchy past. He has had some legal issues and also suffered a torn ACL, which caused him to miss all of 2024 when he was with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams released him when final roster cuts were made ahead of this season.
The cornerback began buried on Seattle's roster, but, due to Witherspoon's injury situation, played in Weeks 2 and 3. He was good in both, allowing just four of the nine times he was targeted to be completed and for only 23 yards. He also gave up no touchdowns and had two interceptions (he could have had four if not for dropping the potential pick).
He has been so good in the slot that when this week during a media session, Mike Macdonald was asked if Kendrick had "earned the right" to get a lot of reps at slot corner, the coach answered, "Yeah."
This won't affect Witherspoon's playing time, as he has proven to be too good and too disruptive for opposing offenses to take off the field. Instead, Kendrick's ascension makes Riq Woolen more expendable. Witherspoon could play outside corner while Kendrick plays nickelback.
Would this improve an already good Seattle Seahawks defense that ranks second in yards allowed per play (4.5) and is fourth in quarterback rating allowed (76.4)? Most likely, yes. Riq Woolen hasn't been good, while Derion Kendrick has. A change might need to be made soon.