The presumed backups have been OK in the Seattle Seahawks' secondary so far in 2025, but relying on such players does not normally portend long-term success. This is compounded if a healthy starter is not playing well. Such has been the case with Riq Woolen this season.
Woolen was fantastic as a rookie in 2022. He has been by far less so since then. This season is the final year of his rookie deal, so one might assume he would want to be great so he could earn a huge deal beginning next season.
Maybe he just loves playing with the Seahawks because Woolen has been so bad through four games that no team is going to pay him a ton of money in 2026. Perhaps he is purposely diminishing his contract demands by being cheap for Seattle. We all know that isn't true, though.
Seattle Seahawks' Riq Woolen will be brilliant or brutal in Week 5
The truth is that the Seahawks need a better version of Woolen than 12s have seen. Through four weeks, he has allowed 10 of 15 targets to be completed for 145 yards and a touchdown. Even worse, he has been called for six penalties.
His quarterback rating allowed is a terrible 120.1, and his coverage grade, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranks 96th out of 101 eligible cornerbacks. One of the biggest issues is that his coverage ability has been the best part of his game in his career.
But Riq Woolen could change the narrative against a good Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing game in Week 5. Wide receiver Mike Evans might miss the game, but Tampa Bay has a lot of good receivers, several of whom are explosive down the field. In other words, Woolen could be brilliant or brutal against the Bucs.
For instance, receiver Emeka Egbuka has been targeted 31 times this season, and 32.3 percent of those have been beyond 20 yards. 38.2 percent of Baker Mayfield's passes have gone 10 yards or more. On passes of 20-plus yards, he has five touchdowns but no interceptions.
The Buccaneers are not afraid to throw deep, and Mayfield will almost certainly test Woolen on fly routes. The issue isn't that the Seahawks' corner cannot keep up with the Tampa Bay receivers, but that his fundamentals are so poor currently that he gets beaten by getting turned around or called for a penalty.
Maybe Week 5 is when Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen will change his storyline. He could get a couple of interceptions and rebuild his confidence. He could also begin to see his asking price increase again in 2026 free agency.