Last season, the Seattle Seahawks had one of the worst defenses in the NFL, struggling mightily on a side of the ball that had once been their calling card.

The Seahawks' defense finished the 2023 campaign 30th in the league by Expected Points Added per play, with their decline in that regard contributing to Seattle's decision to part ways with longtime head coach Pete Carroll.

Carroll was replaced by Mike MacDonald, who gained a reputation as one of the finest defensive minds in the league during his two seasons coordinating that side of the ball for the Baltimore Ravens. The Baltimore defense finished last year second in EPA per play and first in DVOA.

The Seahawks' transition to MacDonald's diverse scheme, which relies heavily on disguise and looks to maximize the versatility of its players, is unlikely to be a straightforward one.

But one of the Seahawks' most versatile defenders, cornerback Devon Witherspoon, believes they are making excitingly quick progress in adjusting to the new system.

Witherspoon said: "We're starting to catch our swag with it, add our own little flavor to it, but we're getting comfortable with it really fast, faster than what we thought we would. But yeah, we’re kind of getting it down pat now.

"You watched the Baltimore tape from last year, so we plan on building on that and just trying to do a little bit better in our own style. It is going to be fun this year. Just wait on it."

Witherspoon spent the majority of his rookie season, which saw him named to the Pro Bowl, playing the nickel. However, he has the versatility to play outside corner as well, and the 2023 fifth overall pick hinted he will have an extremely diverse role in his second season.

Asked how his role will compare to last season, Witherspoon replied: "Well that's up to coach. How my role is going to play out. I mean we’re going to do a lot of different things with me, with a lot of other people as well."

Beyond successfully adapting to the MacDonald defense, Witherspoon is setting simple goals for himself after recording 16 pass breakups and an interception returned for a touchdown in 14 games in 2023. Witherspoon was unable to play a full rookie season because of a hip pointer.

"First of all, I want to play all games, the whole season," added Witherspoon. 

"I missed a couple games last year so I'm trying to make sure I get through the whole season healthy and then I'm just really trying to build on my year. I left a lot of plays out there on the table that I wish I had back, so just trying to make those plays this year.”

Seattle Seahawks have reason for optimism at one of their biggest remaining weaknesses

He showed some positive flashes.