Woolen was benched for Mike Jackson in Thursday's 31-13 loss to the 49ers, but head coach Pete Carroll told reporters Friday that he felt as if Woolen's shoulder was simply not in a position to do what the team needed, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Though the 24-year-old is dealing with a shoulder injury, the issue seems to be minor, as Carroll told reporters that he expects Woolen to return to his starting spot in Week 13 against the Cowboys. The second-year cornerback out of UTSA has had issues with tackling throughout the season, as he's had three or less tackles in seven of Seattle's 11 games thus far. Jackson could continue seeing increased work in the Seahawks' secondary if Woolen's shoulder issue continues to impair his ability to help the team's defense.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Riq Woolen: Practices Thursday
Rotowire
Woolen (chest) was a full participant in Seattle's practice Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
The cornerback injured his chest in Week 2 and then missed Week 3. The second-year pro made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and has four tackles in two starts this year. Woolen is on track to play Monday against the Giants.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Riq Woolen: Deemed doubtful
Rotowire
Woolen (chest) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.
Woolen exited last week's victory over the Seahawks early after suffering a chest injury. Barring a quick turnaround, he does not appear on track to suit up. With Coby Bryant (toe) already ruled out, Tre Brown and Mike Jackson would be candidates for increased snaps should Woolen indeed get ruled out.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Riq Woolen: Still not practicing
Rotowire
Woolen (knee) is still not practicing in full during training camp despite coming off the PUP list Sunday, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reports.
Woolen is fully recovered from an arthroscopic knee procedure done in May, but the team is opting to bring him along slowly now that he's cleared to practice. Although he's not participating in full-team drills, he is taking part in walkthroughs, but the team is still hesitant to let him test his change of direction and cutting ability when reacting to receivers. Woolen is taking the patient approach in stride saying, "I know when the time comes it will be time for me to be out there, but so far I am taking all the mental reps I can."
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Riq Woolen: Passes physical
Rotowire
Woolen (knee) was activated from the active/PUP list Sunday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Woolen suffered the injury during OTAs and needed arthroscopic surgery to clean up his knee. Now healthy, Woolen will return to practice and work to build off his rookie campaign, which saw him record six interceptions and make it to the Pro Bowl.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Tariq Woolen: Undergoes minor procedure
Rotowire
Woolen underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined until training camp, Adam Schefter and Brady Henderson of ESPN.com report.
Woolen was selected by Seattle in the fifth round last year, and his six interceptions as a rookie tied for the league lead. The injury occurred while he was walking onto the practice field during OTAs last week, and while he currently doesn't seem to be in danger of missing the start of the 2023 season, the Seahawks will presumably be extremely cautious with their star youngster. In an effort to add some depth following Woolen's injury, Seattle re-signed Artie Burns to a one-year deal.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Tariq Woolen: Makes DROY case
Rotowire
Woolen posted 63 tackles (46 solo), 16 pass breakups and six interceptions, including a pick-six, over 17 games during the regular season.
Once viewed as a raw but uber-athletic prospect, Woolen showed he is actually a fine-tuned, potentially elite NFL cornerback from the start. Woolen switched to cornerback in college at UTSA, and he ran a 4.26 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. He started every game as a rookie and tied for the league lead with six interceptions and landed fourth with 16 pass breakups. He's in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation, and whether he wins it or not, Woolen appears to have a bright future in the league.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Tariq Woolen: Leading tackler for Seattle in win
Rotowire
Woolen recorded seven tackles (four solo), one pass defensed and one fumble recovery in Sunday's 23-6 win over the Jets.
Woolen once again played all of Seattle's defensive snaps this past weekend against the Jets, but this time around, he paced the Seahawks with seven stops. The rookie cornerback is currently tied for the league lead with six interceptions on the campaign, and he'll have an opportunity to snag pick No. 7 in Week 18 versus the Rams.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Tariq Woolen: Impressing in camp
Rotowire
Woolen started with the first-team defense during Saturday's team scrimmage, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.
Sidney Jones sat out with a concussion, so Woolen received an opportunity with the starting defense. The honor is especially notable because fellow rookie Coby Bryant -- who has been drawing headlines in training camp -- worked with the second-team defense. The Seahawks initially expected Woolen to be a project. He possesses outstanding tools, as he features a 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame and a 4.26 40-yard dash. However, he converted to cornerback at University of Texas-San Antonio and played just two years at the position. The rookie has shown in training camp that he could be up for the task, though he still may end up as a backup once the secondary gets healthy.
... See More... See Less
Seahawks' Tariq Woolen: Converted CB packs bags for Seattle
Rotowire
The Seahawks selected Woolen in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 153rd overall.
Woolen was a three-star recruit as a wide receiver out of high school, and he even had an offer to play for Matt Rhule at Baylor. However, he chose the University of Texas-San Antonio. He never got his footing as a receiver and made the switch to cornerback late in the 2019 season. Woolen ended up playing 20 games (16 starts) at corner over his final two seasons at UTSA. While he's still raw at a technical level, he has tools you can't teach, as he ran a 4.26 40-yard dash and added a 42-inch vertical while measuring in at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Woolen should have a locked-in spot on special teams as Pete Carroll's staff tries to develop him into an NFL cornerback.
