What to do with Riq Woolen? The mercurial Seattle Seahawks cornerback, who was a fifth-round gem in his rookie season, has been inconsistent over his last three years. He is capable of brilliance, but he is also capable of taking a play or two off just when the Seattle Seahawks can't afford it.
Nearly every game this season, Woolen has made a glaring mistake. Or three. In Week 1, he arguably was the reason Seattle lost to the San Francisco 49ers, as Woolen gave up a deep sideline pass to set San Fran up in great field position on their final drive, and then Woolen gave up the touchdown pass.
Woolen has spent too many seasons in the league now to keep making as many mental mistakes as he does. In Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, the cornerback was called for two pass interference penalties that helped the Cardinals stay in the game.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen fails again in Week 4
On one, he was slightly beaten by his receiver, so Woolen grabbed the receiver in plain view of an official. On the second, he didn't turn his head around. The penalties were errors due to poor fundamentals.
Coming into the NFL, Riq Woolen had tested at an elite level as far as size and speed. His raw athleticism was not in question. What the Seahawks, nor any other team, didn't know was how physical he could be against the run and how fundamentally sound he was.
But then, as a rookie, the cornerback got six interceptions relatively quickly, and he appeared to be the latest of the fifth-round diamonds the Seahawks found, after players such as Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, to name two. But he hasn't been the same since his second season.
He is now in the final year of his rookie deal and should be extra motivated to earn a new contract beginning in 2026 that pays him a lot of money. If anything, he is playing worse in coverage.
Through the first four games, Woolen's quarterback rating allowed is an awful 125.9. That is far worse than in any of his three previous seasons. He is also allowing more than three yards per target, higher than in any other season. Plus, he's already been called for five penalties, three of which have been accepted.
Instead of the Seattle Seahawks thinking of re-signing him, the team needs to be thinking about who will be Riq Woolen's long-term replacement. Seattle can financially afford him in the future, but the team cannot afford to keep the cornerback on the team to reach maximum success.