The world is already a strange enough place, but when fans of a player and team start believing that if a certain player isn't as bad as they are simply because they aren't as atrocious as the week before, things get weirder. Such is the case with the Seattle Seahawks and cornerback Riq Woolen.
Since his rookie season of 2022, when he led the NFL in interceptions, Woolen has been a riddle wrapped inside an enigma and so on. He hasn't been good against the run, but he hasn't always been terrible in run defense either. He's been solid in pass coverage, but in certain moments, he's been awful.
In Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, the cornerback was horrible in every aspect, especially on the final San Fran drive of the game. Woolen nearly single-handedly gave the game to the 49ers with two high school-level plays. He could have been a candidate for immediate benching.
Riq Woolen is still struggling for the Seattle Seahawks through two games of the 2025 season
Yet, in Week 2, many think Riq Woolen redeemed himself and was back to being the player he was in 2022. In reality, he wasn't. He allowed both of his targets to be completed, was penalized once, and whiffed on two of his five tackle attempts. That isn't winning football.
Of course, the Seahawks are dealing with a bunch of cornerback injuries currently, and that makes Woolen's job safer. It doesn't make Seattle's defense better. Plus, the four-year veteran should be extra-motivated to be elite in 2025 as he will be a free agent next offseason. So far, he looks more like a rookie than he did in 2022 when he had six interceptions.
After Seattle's 31-17 Week 2 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike Macdonald said Woolen appeared to have a good game after having a good week of practice. Macdonald isn't one to throw his players under the bus, after all, and who knows how he truly saw Woolen's effort.
As Woolen is entering the final year of his rookie deal, the team might look to replace him sooner rather than later. Once Devon Witherspoon is healthy again, Josh Jobe might take Woolen's place in two cornerback sets.
Riq Woolen might actually look good in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints. They don't have a very good passing attack. Woolen will need to be stout against the run, however. The Seattle Seahawks might find that once again, the cornerback is good in some aspects of football but not all.