From cornerback Riq Woolen's rookie season with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, he was a training camp star. He had impressive size and even better speed, and he could provide the type of shutdown coverage that former icon Richard Sherman provided.
What Woolen couldn't do once the real games began was be a physical force at stopping the run. He would seemingly intentionally avoid contact at times, especially after he suffered a knee injury in training camp before his second season. He never offered the same kind of well-rounded impact after that, at least not consistently.
So far in training camp with his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, Woolen is getting glowing reviews from reporters who cover Philly. They have marveled at how well Woolen can cover and how fast he is. They don't yet know what all Seahawks fans do, and the lesson will likely be brutal in the regular season.
Philadelphia Eagles fans might learn the tough lesson about Riq Woolen that Seattle Seahawks fans already know
The cornerback is going to turn in plays where he appears to be elite, potentially one of the better players at his position in the NFL. He will, at times, come up and hit a running back hard, too, though he doesn't do that nearly enough for a player his size.
Even worse than his run defense, he will make key boneheaded plays, normally two plays in a row. Several times last season, including against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game, Woolen would be called for taunting or some other unsportsmanlike penalty and then immediately give up a big play afterward.
He liked to feed off the crowd, and no doubt the Lumen Field fans would get extremely loud. Riq Woolen will likely also react to what Eagles fans do at Lincoln Financial Field. The difference is that Philly fans can be far more aggressive, possibly causing Woolen to react even more, hurting his team often.
His lack of self-control was a problem on the field for certain, but he might have also been an issue off the field at times. In 2024, for instance, he was benched on the first drive of the game against the Minnesota Vikings during the Seattle Seahawks' Week 16 contest.
The reason given was that the cornerback had broken a team rule. Head coach Mike Macdonald wasn't going to say which one, of course. One wonders if Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni will mete out the same kind of discipline because Woolen needs that. Left to his own devices, bad things can happen on the field.
Philadelphia Eagles fans will be aware of this soon. Seattle Seahawks fans learned the lesson the hard way. At least now, 12s don't have to worry about how Riq Woolen handles his business.
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