Three key position battles to watch for Seahawks in preseason opener

Seahawks cornerback: Coby Bryant vs. Tariq Woolen vs. Sidney Jones vs. Artie Burns

There are a lot of players involved in this battle and that is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good is that there is definitely talent with the young guys Bryant and Woolen. Woolen is still raw in his development having played at a smaller school against not-elite competition but also not playing cornerback for his entire college career. He transitioned from receiver.

Still, Woolen already seems to be catching on faster than most expected and was a stand-out in the Seahawks mock game last week. There is zero doubt he has the physical ability to be good but learning technique is another story. But he will make the roster and has a chance to earn some CB1 reps.

Bryant is the more experienced of the two rookies and knows the position better. If he had run a 4.5 40 at the combine the Seahawks wouldn’t have had the chance to select him because he would have been drafted in the first round. But technique can help overcome a seeming lack of speed and Bryant might be a Week 1 starter.

The question about the two vets, Jones and Burns, has now become which one might be at best a starter and which one at worst is released. Burns has had a surprisingly good training camp. Jones, who has been oft-injured during his career, is currently dealing with a concussion.

But we know what Jones can do as he was decent in the second half of 2021. With Woolen and Bryant, we will learn a lot from seeing how they do against a team not wearing a Seahawks jersey for their first time in Seattle. Burns and Jones might not play due to injuries.