Under absolutely no circumstances should the Seattle Seahawks trade cornerback Riq Woolen this season. 26-year old perimeter cornerbacks with the potential to be elite are a rare commodity in the NFL and should not be waved off lightly.
How do we know Woolen has the potential to be elite? Because he already has been. In his rookie season, playing well over 1,000 defensive snaps, the fifth-round pick out of UTSA, recorded the 14th-best coverage grade out of 236 corners rated by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
He was selected for the Pro Bowl. Then he followed it up with another strong year, at least as a cover corner, in 2023. Woolen may not have been the surest of tacklers, but he was long and fast and could run with the best receivers in the league.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback’s future may hinge on a totally unrelated position
Over the last two seasons, that magic has largely vanished. Woolen has fallen victim to something that plagues a lot of tall, physical corners. Offenses are drawing penalties on him for pass interference and holding.
The fact is, he had always been guilty of these types of penalties, but in recent years, they seem to be coming at more inopportune times. His coverage ratings have plummeted accordingly. And still, I say there is no way Seahawks’ general manager John Schneider should trade him. Unless...
Seattle is playing very well right now, and their roster looks strong. They have a lot of young players who are turning into reliable starters and more before the fans' eyes. They have some great veterans providing both leadership and production.
And they have a big hole in the offensive line.
Right guard Anthony Bradford has been an inconsistent player since he arrived in 2023. This year, his struggles in pass protection have been one of the few blemishes on an otherwise highly efficient offense.
Seattle was in playoff contention over the past few years, but they were never seen as a major title threat. Flying a bit under the radar gives a team a little more leeway to wait on a young prospect like Bradford.
That is not true this season. This season, Seattle thinks it can make a deep playoff run. How much longer can it wait on its talented, struggling right guard?
There may be help available at the trade deadline. Of the teams commonly seen as looking to trade old for young, several time-tested guards appear to be available. Cleveland may have two excellent guards on the block.
Of the two, Joel Bitonio must be very enticing to Schneider. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler on an expiring contract. But his fellow guard, Wyatt Teller, might be an even better fit. Teller doesn’t quite have the resume of Bitonio, but he is younger (30) and plays on the right side. With rookie Grey Zabel settled in on the left, that’s what Seattle is looking for.
In Tennessee, another veteran right guard, Kevin Zeitler, would also constitute a major upgrade. All three of the veterans – Bitonio, Teller, and Zeitler – rank in the top thirty amongst all NFL guards this season. Bitonio is third overall. As a point of comparison, Bradford is rated at number 70.
If Cleveland or Tennessee is willing to move one of their veteran guards – and it’s hard to believe they will not at least hear offers – they will no doubt want some draft capital in return. Because these are aging players on expiring contracts, they will not return a huge haul.
If Schneider can sweeten his offer by dangling Woolen along with a late-middle draft pick – perhaps in return for an additional developmental DB along with the guard – it might be enough to close a deal.
Devon Witherspoon is returning soon. Josh Jobe has taken a major step forward and Derion Kendrick has proven to be a solid young corner. Nick Emmanwori brings a ton of versatility to the secondary.
And Schneider has almost his entire complement of draft picks in 2026 (he is only missing the seventh-rounder). Does that mean Seattle has enough cornerbacks to deal away Riq Woolen?
No. You never have enough good, young cornerbacks. That’s why Schneider should not trade Riq.
Unless he can significantly upgrade his offensive line. For a top-flight right guard, you make that trade.