At the beginning of the Seattle Seahawks' destruction of the Washington Commanders in Week 9, Seattle's defense was absent a familiar face. At cornerback on the field were Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe, while the safeties were Nick Emmanwori, Coby Bryant, and Ty Okada. There was no Riq Woolen.
In other words, no indication of where Woolen stood on the Seahawks' cornerback depth was greater than on the Commanders' first drive. Jobe and Witherspoon were the starters in two cornerback sets. Woolen was the outlier.
This fact is also one reason that so many NFL analysts have projected that Seattle's fourth-year corner is available in a trade. The issue is that general manager John Schneider doesn't normally trade players away simply to open up a roster spot. If a move is made, it is because Schneider wants to acquire a player on another team.
Riq Woolen most likely will stay a part of the Seattle Seahawks
But Riq Woolen very well might not be going anywhere now, even if the team was entertaining the idea of dealing him. Josh Jobe suffered a concussion during Week 9, and he is probably going to miss Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals. Woolen is now very much needed.
He was also quite good against Washington. While Woolen had a silly taunting penalty after making a nice tackle, something he needs to clean up as he has too often let his exuberance get the best of him, he also was seemingly aggressive in run support and had a nice pass breakup.
Woolen is capable of greatness. His Pro Bowl appearance as a rookie in 2022 wasn't a fluke. He had six interceptions in his first season while he was still trying to prove he belonged in the NFL. His issue over the last few seasons is that he plays as if he is assumed to be one of the best players in the league isn't proving that every week.
The cornerback might also realize that, halfway through the 2025 season, he has no contract beyond this year. He could earn himself quite a bit of money with an elite second half of the season. That might not be with the Seattle Seahawks, but some team is likely going to give him a chance.
Or Riq Woolen could revert to the mediocrity he has shown for three seasons. He is good at coverage, but not much else. Either way, he is almost certainly going to be part of the Seahawks roster moving forward after Josh Jobe's injury in Week 9.