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Brady Henderson
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks will get Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon back for their Sunday night game against the Washington Commanders, but they’ll be without starting safety Julian Love again.
Love is one of five players Seattle ruled out, along with wide receivers Jake Bobo and Dareke Young, tight end Eric Saubert and guard Christian Haynes. Receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Jarran Reed are listed as questionable, though Reed was a full participant in practice on Friday.
Fullback Robbie Ouzts will return Sunday night after spending the past four games on injured reserve. The Seahawks will have to add him to their 53-man roster by Saturday afternoon.
Witherspoon, a first-round pick in 2023 who made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons, returns after missing five of Seattle’s seven games with a knee injury.
“I’m excited for him. I think our team’s excited to play with him again,” coach Mike Macdonald said Friday. “He’s one of the guys that adds just such great energy and competitiveness and spirit to our defense. And to his credit, you felt him on the sideline when he wasn’t playing. Him and really all those other guys that haven’t been playing have been awesome, helping the guys out between series and cheering them on from the sideline. But it’ll be great to have him out there.”
Witherspoon was initially hurt in the fourth quarter of the Seahawks’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers — suffering what Macdonald called an MCL bruise — though he finished the game and played every snap. He missed the next two games before returning in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, and while he played in every snap of that game as well, he reinjured his knee and missed the next three.
“I felt pretty good in the Arizona game,” Witherspoon said Friday. “I don’t think nothing was wrong with me, but after the game I had to take some time off.”
The Seahawks (5-2), coming off their bye, will also get Derick Hall back against Washington after the outside linebacker missed two games with an oblique injury. Seattle was expecting Love to return this week as well, but Macdonald said he suffered a setback last week in his return from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for four games.
Macdonald said the team has yet to make a decision on whether Love will go on injured reserve, having acknowledged earlier in the week that an IR stint was a possibility. Ty Okada has been starting in his place.
The Seahawks also played three games and most of a fourth without rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, who sustained a high-ankle sprain on the fifth play of the opener. Despite all the injuries in their secondary, their defense is allowing only 18.6 points per game, fifth-fewest in the NFL.
“It’s the next-man-up mentality,” Witherspoon said. “Everybody got to prepare like they’re a starter because you never know when your number is going to be called. So that’s a testament to the culture we’ve built around here, so shoutout to the coaches and the players and the staff as well.”
It’s unclear whether Witherspoon will resume his role as Seattle’s nickelback — he slides inside in passing situations — or whether the Seahawks will stick with Emmanwori there. The second-round pick played more than 90% of the defensive snaps at nickelback in each of the last two games.
Kupp had already been dealing with a heel injury before he hurt his hamstring in practice Thursday. Bobo also suffered an Achilles injury that day; Macdonald said it’s not a rupture.
Kupp did not practice Friday. With his questionable status and both Bobo and Young (hip) out, the only healthy receivers on Seattle’s roster are Jaxon Smith-Njigba and rookie Tory Horton. Cody White, Courtney Jackson and Ricky White III are among the receiver options on their practice squad.
