Riq Woolen on the Tightrope: Will He Lose His Starting Spot on the Seahawks?
Renton, Wash. – Riq Woolen’s costly mistakes in the Seattle Seahawks’ season-opening loss and Josh Jobe’s outstanding performance have cast doubt on the All-Pro cornerback’s starting position.At the beginning of the week, Macdonald mentioned that Jobe is competing for more playing time after a “tremendous” performance in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The coach’s comments suggest that any increase in the role of the team’s number 3 cornerback would come at the expense of Woolen. Woolen had errors on two key plays during the 49ers’ winning drive: a 45-yard reception by receiver Ricky Pearsall and the decisive touchdown by tight end Jake Tonges.“We’ll see,” declared coach Mike Macdonald on Wednesday, when asked if Woolen would start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Mike Macdonald
Pearsall’s reception brought the 49ers into Seattle territory. Five plays later, Brock Purdy found Tonges in the end zone. Woolen was in a position to, at least, deflect the pass, but he moved away from the ball as Tonges caught it.“I could have played the ball better,” Woolen said. “I ran the route for him, and I knew what kind of route it was. I just have to execute and attack the ball and not lose track of it.”
Riq Woolen
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Woolen allowed three receptions on four attempts for 73 yards and a touchdown as the nearest defender in coverage. This resulted in a passer rating against him of 156.3. Previously, he saved a touchdown with a pass deflection on the goal line. Meanwhile, Jobe had one of Seattle’s two interceptions against Purdy and allowed just one reception for 1 yard on five attempts as the closest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Jobe played 61 of 76 defensive plays, a larger workload than expected due to rookie safety Nick Emmanwori’s ankle sprain injury on the first series.“I just have to attack the ball,” said Woolen, who was selected for the Pro Bowl in his rookie season in 2022.
Riq Woolen
Macdonald added: “If you go out and produce, why wouldn’t we play you?”. The possible reduced role of Woolen comes after an up-and-down 2024 season. His passer rating against of 78.7 as the nearest defender ranked 16th among 77 defenders with at least 500 coverage snaps, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and one of his three interceptions secured a victory over the Chicago Bears. But Woolen was on the wrong side of critical errors late in games, including the decisive touchdown in the loss against the Minnesota Vikings. He was benched in the first series of that game due to an unspecified violation of team rules. Macdonald spoke last season and again this offseason about the need for Woolen to stay focused on every play. Woolen was asked if Macdonald has communicated any changes in his role for this week.“Josh is ready to play,” Macdonald said. “He will always be an important part of the game plan. He is competing for more plays, and I think he played a tremendous game. He played with physicality, he played intelligently, he played with discipline, finishing plays well. I think he played a great game.”
Mike Macdonald
The Seahawks’ secondary is also dealing with injuries. The other starting cornerback, Devon Witherspoon, did not practice on Wednesday (shoulder), while safety Julian Love (groin) was limited. Macdonald said the team will wait until later in the week to decide whether to place Emmanwori on the injured reserve list, which would sideline the second-round pick for at least four games. Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, returning from knee surgery, fully participated in practice after being limited all three days last week.“I don’t know,” Woolen replied. “He’s the boss, so whatever he says, goes. I’m not going to go against that. Aside from that, I can still be Riq and still be a great player like I’ve been doing.”
Riq Woolen
