Mike Macdonald’s secondary has been a rollercoaster this season. Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love played in Week 1, but Week 2 saw Witherspoon sidelined. He bounced back for Week 4 only to hit another roadblock last weekend with a knee setback. Love has been just as inconsistent, missing Week 3 and last weekend’s matchup after playing Weeks 2 and 4. Now, Macdonald has confirmed a triple move, shaking things up in the secondary.

Shaquill Griffin and Jerrick Reed II will return for Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks announced they would elevate both defensive backs from the practice squad. Then Macdonald and Co. also shared their third move. The team ruled out cornerback Riq Woolen.

The reason behind Woolen’s absence is a concussion he sustained in Week 5. The young corner went down with a concussion in the third quarter of last Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent the entire week practicing in a limited capacity, giving fans hope he might suit up again soon. But even after some progress, Woolen couldn’t clear all the steps in the concussion protocol.

Shaquill Griffin began his NFL journey with the Seattle Seahawks as a third-round pick in 2017, spending four productive seasons with the team. His standout play in 2019 earned him a Pro Bowl selection, cementing his reputation as one of the league’s promising young corners.

Following his rookie deal, Griffin signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his tenure there lasted only two seasons before the team released him.

Since his time in Jacksonville, Griffin has spent the past two years with the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, and Minnesota Vikings before reuniting with Seattle in June, returning to the franchise where his career first took off.

Seattle also added Reed in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The safety has had an up-and-down tenure, moving between the team’s active roster and practice squad over the past three seasons.

Griffin and Reed aren’t new to stepping in, but they’ll be suiting up for just their second game in 2025. Griffin only saw three defensive snaps during Week 2 without recording any stats. Reed contributed two combined tackles back in Week 3. Both are still shaking off the rust, but will be crucial for Macdonald’s plans in Week 6 at EverBank Stadium.

Reed saw five defensive snaps and 29 on special teams in his first action this season. Still, it’s not all smooth sailing. The NFL handed down the heftiest punishment yet for Mike Macdonald’s defensive end: a $46,000 fine.

Leonard Williams fined over $46K after late-game headbutt

The Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams has been a cornerstone of Seattle’s front this season. Coming off his best year in 2024, which earned him a Pro Bowl nod, Williams has continued to make an impact in his third year with the silver and black. At 31, with 11 seasons in the NFL under his belt, he’s still a force up front, showing fans—known as the 12s—that he can disrupt games and set the tone for the defense.

However, last Sunday brought frustration for both Williams and the Seahawks. In a tight 38-35 loss to the Buccaneers, Williams had four total tackles, including one solo. Yet, the bigger story wasn’t his tackles—it was a late-game unnecessary roughness penalty. Williams head-butted Bucs tight end Cade Otton after exchanging words post-play, drawing the flag with less than a minute left in the third quarter.

As a result, the NFL fined Williams $46,371, the highest of any Week 5 fine. He was among 13 players penalized that week, but his fine dwarfed Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy’s $17,389 penalty. This is the second time the NFL has fined Williams.

Earlier, in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, he got a $23,186 fine for another unnecessary roughness penalty. As the Seahawks head into week 6, Mike Macdonald hopes Williams can harness his energy better, continuing to lead Seattle’s defensive line.