Seahawks: Jamal Adams out, Devon Witherspoon unlikely to play Week 1

Assembling a secondary that rivals the Legion of Boom will prove to be a very tough task. While Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks can’t claim yet that they have formed a secondary as good as their legendary group from the past, they have a supremely talented group heading into the 2023 season headlined by cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon.

Woolen, a Pro Bowler as a rookie, and Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, could be a shutdown duo for a long time. And the Seahawks have plenty of depth with fellow corner Michael Jackson, safeties Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams and Julian Love and corner-turned-safety Coby Bryant.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks will have to wait to see the unit at full strength due to injuries to Witherspoon (hamstring) and Adams (quad). Carroll provided updates on his key defenders in an appearance on the Seattle radio station 93.3 KJR. Both of them are not what Seahawks fans were hoping for ahead of a Week 1 matchup at home with the Los Angeles Rams.

“It’s going to be a race to get him for the opener. Might not get that,” Carroll said of Witherspoon's status, according to Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune.

The update for Adams is more concrete: he will not play. “Pete Carroll ruled out safety Jamal Adams for week 1 vs. the Rams while speaking on @933KJR. Adams still is recovering from the quad injury he suffered last season, and the Seahawks won’t rush him back,” writes Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Although Devon Witherspoon has practiced recently, the Seahawks could hold him out instead of letting him start his career matching up with Cooper Kupp. Jamal Adams appeared in only the first game of last season due to a quad tear. Even though he passed his physical last week, the Seahawks want him to continue recovering before he hits the field again.

Even with one key defender out and another potentially joining him, the Seahawks should be able to handle the Rams to open their season. The season is a marathon, not a sprint, so playing it safe early is an understandable stance for a playoff-hopeful squad to take.