Even though they have one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL , it was a position group of concern for the Seattle Seahawks entering the 2026 season.
Head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff made additions to the roster that included third-round pick Julian Neal, former All-Pro Trevon Diggs and Terrion Arnold , who is currently on the Commissioner's Exempt List amid facing eight pending felony charges.
Those additions were made to account for the loss of Riq Woolen , who departed in free agency after the Seahawks refused to meet his market price after three seasons of up-and-down play. But that's where Nehemiah Pritchett has found his chance to step in.
Pritchett was the No. 3 cornerback in the Seahawks' season-opening win over the New England Patriots , and he played the best game of his short three-year career. Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe are holding down the top two spots, but Pritchett should still get plenty of play this season.
"Nehemiah Pritchett played a really good football game," Macdonald said on Thursday, one day removed from the Week 1 victory.
"Yeah, he had some great tackles yesterday - the whole secondary did."
Sep 9, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) runs against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Pritchett saw little action on defense in his first two seasons. He saw more defensive snaps as a rookie (151) than in his second season (91), particularly because Jobe hadn't settled into a starting role with the Seahawks in 2024.
Pritchett played 53 snaps in the season opener alone, totaling six tackles, two pass deflections and an interception - snagging a ball that safety Rodney Thomas II nearly intercepted previously.
It was Pritchett's first career interception, but that's far from the only way he will make an impact. Pritchett showed he can make tackles at the line of scrimmage and in space against the Patriots, getting a shoutout from Macdonald for that effort in particular.
The worry at a position like cornerback, when examining depth, is having to give hefty snaps to players who only excel in one area, whether that be coverage, run defense, or another attribute. Pritchett gives the Seahawks a third option who is well-rounded next to Jobe and Witherspoon.
Pritchett could lock in that role for the entire season, especially if Arnold and Diggs don't play up to their former big-name status (or, in Arnold's case, are not allowed to play at all). And now, being in the second-to-last season of his rookie contract, this is the best time for Pritchett to have a breakout campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/onsi as Seahawks CB Nehemiah Pritchett Potentially Primed For Breakout Season .
