3 Seattle Seahawks who aren't safe with Mike Macdonald as head coach

Cornerback Riq Woolen cannot be considered safe

Going from rookie Pro Bowler to out of a starting spot or potentially even a roster spot would be quite the fall. But with Woolen, neither of those can be ruled out. While he got 6 interceptions in 2022 after being taken in the fifth round, the cornerback was also a fantastic tackler and appeared to like using his 6'4" frame to hit small receivers hard. Possibly he was even the second coming of Richard Sherman, an opposing corner who could cover and be great against the run.

But the 2022 version of Woolen disappeared in 2023. He missed 20 percent of his tackle attempts this season, a higher completion percentage when targeted (63.1), and had only 2 interceptions. For much of the year, he seemed afraid of coming up and hitting a ball carrier and he appeared to refuse to try to set an edge on the outside versus the run.

Meanwhile, Michael Jackson was better in coverage in 2023 than Woolen and exceptionally better against the run. The question is what to do with Devon Witherspoon next year. Will Macdonald want to move him more to being a full-time outside corner? If so, that means either Jackson or Woolen are displaced.

If Woolen comes into training camp and does not show Macdonald that he is ready to tackle well, Woolen might sit on the bench. Macdonald will not play someone who doesn't want to participate in bringing ball-carriers down. It is likely too early to give up on Woolen overall as he is clearly capable of covering well, but Woolen might lose his job as a full-time starter.

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