Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks ‘Expecting Big Things’ From Riq Woolen

RENTON, Wash. – Just one year ago, Riq Woolen’s sophomore season with the Seattle Seahawks got off to a rocky start, as he suffered an unusual knee injury between plays early in OTAs.

Trying to play through the discomfort, Woolen wound up sitting down on the practice field during the next rep knowing something wasn’t right. Only a few days later, he traveled to Texas and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which caused him to miss the rest of OTAs and the beginning of training camp on the PUP list before being activated in August.

After missing most of the offseason, Woolen wasn’t able to come close to recapturing his Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist form in 2023, seeing his production dip across the board. He finished with 10 fewer tackles and four fewer interceptions after tying for the league lead as a rookie, failing to make the Pro Bowl and struggling to finish tackles, at one point getting benched in favor of veteran Mike Jackson late in the season.

Now healthy following a disappointing second year, at least by the lofty expectations he set for himself as a rookie, Woolen has an extra hop in his step at Seattle’s OTA practices this year. Entrenched at the right cornerback spot with the first-team defense next to rising star Devon Witherspoon, new coach Mike Macdonald loves what he’s seen from the long, athletic defender thus far and he’s holding him to a different standard with hopes of bringing out his best in 2024.

“I think Tariq is in a great spot. Great spot,” Macdonald told reporters after Seattle’s first open OTA session. “We had a great conversation today. Expecting big things from him, just like everyone else on the defense and on the rest of the team. We’re going to be pushing them because there is greatness in there.”

Looking back at last season, Woolen’s lack of ball production stood out first and foremost, as he failed to capitalize on his opportunities to create turnovers. Unlike his rookie season where he seemed to pick off everything in his zip code, per Pro Football Focus, he tied for second in the NFL among cornerbacks with three dropped interceptions, letting several potential interceptions bounce off of his chest or hands and leading to frustration from the player.

To the chagrin of former coach Pete Carroll and his staff, Woolen also took a step back as tackler, often seeming to make business decisions when presented with the chance to make a play in the run game. Receiving a dismal 37.3 run defense grade from PFF, he tied for the league lead among corners with 10 missed tackles and posted a league-worst 50 percent missed tackle rate.

Dealing with a shoulder issue that bugged him for much of the season after exiting early in a Week 2 win over the Lions, the Seahawks benched Woolen early in a home loss to the 49ers on Thanksgiving, with Carroll telling reporters he wasn’t healthy enough to do his job. A few weeks later, Jackson stepped in for him in the starting lineup, with the coach again referencing his health as the reason for his benching.

In Woolen’s defense, if he was dealing with a bum shoulder and didn’t have proper time to heal in the middle of a season, that would have made tackling a far more difficult endeavor and it certainly would have been painful. Still, it was clear Carroll was irked by his poor performance against the run, and Jackson played well in his stead.

From a big picture standpoint, however, while Woolen didn’t come close to repeating his fantastic rookie season, there’s reason for optimism that he can rebound heading towards 2024 and beyond by looking deeper into his numbers from a year ago.

In coverage, even with just two interceptions after tying for the league lead in 2022, Woolen nearly equaled his rookie production with nine pass breakups and cut receiving yardage allowed from 549 to 391. Per PFF charting, he ranked in the top-10 among corners in yards allowed per reception (9.5), forced incompletion percentage (18 percent), and pass breakups. He also improved in the touchdown department, giving up only three in coverage after surrendering five as a rookie.

Playing in Macdonald’s aggressive scheme, Woolen’s ability to press receivers and take away the deep ball with sub-4.30 speed should make him an ideal candidate to thrive on the boundary. Being healthy will work wonders as well, as being on the field in OTAs should ensure he has the proper on-field time to master a new defense and develop chemistry with new teammates such as safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and K’Von Wallace.

Of course, Woolen will have to show marked improvements as a tackler, or as Carroll did a year ago, Seattle may have to turn to another option such as Jackson or Tre Brown if he can’t demonstrate progress as a run defender and exhibit the mental toughness the new staff demands. The team also invested a pair of day three draft picks in Auburn cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James, further bolstering the position to help turn up the heat on him.

Based on what Macdonald said last Wednesday, with extra competition in the mix, the Seahawks expect him to make that jump as a better all-around player. With an elite combination of speed, length, and ball skills, as demonstrated two years ago, he has all of the physical tools to be a perennial All-Pro and with plenty of talent around him in the secondary, his ceiling remains beyond the clouds and the race is on to help him reach his immense potential.