Seattle’s secondary is already being called one of the NFL’s best before training camp even starts. And that’s with a roster that lost some key pieces during free agency this spring.
Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated ranked the top five cornerback duos in the league, and the Seahawks landed at No. 3. The pairing of Devon Witherspoon with Josh Jobe and hybrid safety Nick Emmanwori was enough to crack the list.
Witherspoon is the anchor here. He’s coming off a dominant 2025 season that earned him second-team All-Pro honors, and Manzano wrote bluntly that his presence alone puts Seattle’s secondary near the top of the league. You could argue he’s the best cornerback in football right now. The numbers back it up. He’s elite from both the outside and the slot, which makes him a nightmare for offensive coordinators.
Witherspoon is also about to get paid like the best in the business. A massive contract extension is coming, and there’s a good chance he becomes the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. The Seahawks know what they’ve got, and they’re not going to let him walk.
What makes this secondary interesting is the versatility beyond Witherspoon. Emmanwori, technically listed as a safety, actually spent most of his rookie season playing slot cornerback. He also lined up at linebacker and made plays in the box. Manzano noted that he’s not a traditional safety — he’s more of a hybrid playmaker who can do a bit of everything.
Josh Jobe is the other name in the mix. He’s not a star yet, but he’s solid. And in Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme, solid players can shine. Macdonald is known for getting the most out of his defensive backs, and the results speak for themselves. Seattle had the league’s best defense last season, and a lot of that starts with the secondary.
Manzano summed it up by saying that Macdonald knows how to deploy his deep crop of defensive backs. That’s probably an understatement. The guy is a defensive mastermind, and he’s got the talent to make his system work at an elite level.
It’s going to be fun watching this defense go to work again. Training camp hasn’t even started, and the hype is already real.
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