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Mike Macdonald gives honest answer on moving Devon Witherspoon to outside corner
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- Mike Macdonald gives honest answer on moving Devon Witherspoon to outside corner
Mike Evans caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown at Lumen Field on Sunday, then caught the two-point conversion that put the San Francisco 49ers ahead for good in a 32-29 win over Seattle. By Monday, the question for Mike Macdonald was about the Seahawks' best defensive back and where he lines up.
Devon Witherspoon has played primarily at nickel under Macdonald, while Josh Jobe and Nehemiah Pritchett also played corner against San Francisco. He was asked how he decides between keeping Witherspoon inside, where he can affect more of the game directly, and moving him to the boundary Macdonald started with what Seattle would be giving up.
Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) carries the ball as Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) defends during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
"Well, it starts with he's a game-changing nickel, where people have to account for him when he's inside, and he's a really good outside corner as well," Macdonald said. "But he's probably the best nickel in the game, so that's a trade-off that you have to keep in mind."
What would moving Devon Witherspoon outside cost the Seahawks?
Macdonald pointed to how Seattle's outside corners are playing and what Jobe does well, then to Nick Emmanwori, the safety Seattle used at nickel in dime packages last season.
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"And then when you have Nick, the way we've been using him, he allows us to do certain things by how we've utilized Nick as well," Macdonald said. "So it's not just in a vacuum of how we're using Spoon."
Sliding Witherspoon outside against a receiver like Evans would leave the slot to someone else and change what Emmanwori is asked to do in the packages built around him.
Aug 15, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Macdonald is weighing one bad afternoon on the boundary against a structure that reaches well beyond a single position.
Calling Witherspoon "a really good outside corner" also keeps the option alive for specific matchups, and an opponent with one dominant boundary receiver is exactly the matchup where it would come up.
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Sunday's loss dropped the Seahawks to 3-2, and the 49ers moved to 5-0. Seattle had a chance to answer Eddy Pineiro's go-ahead field goal with 1:56 left, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba dropped a third-down pass and Malik Mustapha stopped Cooper Kupp a yard short on fourth down to end the final drive.
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