The Seattle Seahawks have an elite defense, though just don't watch the fourth quarter of the team's Week 4 game versus the Arizona Cardinals. That won't give you the evidence you need that head coach Mike Macdonald's unit is good.
Neither will the diminishing play of cornerback Riq Woolen. As a rookie in 2022, Woolen, a fifth-round draft pick, led the NFL in interceptions with six. While he has struggled against the run, and his mercurial attitude is an issue at times, he has mostly been solid in coverage. Until this year, that is.
This might be why speculation is beginning that Woolen will be traded at the deadline during this season. One of those reporting on the speculation is Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Rumors are circulating that the Seattle Seahawks could trade Riq Woolen
He tweeted recently, "With Seahawks star CB Devon Witherspoon returning on Thursday, teams are monitoring Pro Bowl CB Riq Woolen as a possible trade target by the deadline, sources tell The Insiders. Woolen’s playing time has diminished, and in a contract year, teams believe he could be available."
One can certainly find issues with Rapoport's tweet. First of all, Witherspoon is a slot corner, and his return shouldn't greatly affect Woolen, an outside corner, or his playing time. Also, Woolen's playing time has not "diminished." Through four games, he is playing 97 percent of defensive snaps, up from 85 percent in 2023 and 90 percent last season.
In other words, Riq Woolen might be traded, as he will be a free agent next offseason, and the Seattle Seahawks might not want to pay him tons of money to return, and Seattle could add to its draft pick stash next year. But Woolen isn't seeing less playing time; he's only seeing more.
If Seattle does trade Woolen, his next team might be crystal clear. Pete Carroll, who is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, coached the cornerback in his first seasons, and Carroll has made it obvious that he likes adding former Seahawks players to his Raiders team.
Quarterback Geno Smith, safety-turned-linebacker Jamal Adams, and offensive line Stone Forsythe all were with Seattle in the last couple of years and are now with Vegas. There is little doubt that Carroll would love to add Woolen's name to that group.
The big question is how much it might take to acquire Riq Woolen. He has a career quarterback rating allowed of 71.9, which is excellent. He is far from perfect, but he is capable of fantastic coverage. If a team, say, the Las Vegas Raiders, offers Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider a third-round pick, he might jump on it. Something from the later rounds wouldn't make dealing the cornerback worth it.