Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) breaks up a pass intended for Los Angeles Rams tight end Davis Allen (87) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Seahawks insider points to another big problem for floundering corner Riq Woolen

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Seattle Seahawks look pretty strong as they head into their extended break before a big measuring-stick matchup Week 5 against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their special teams unit has gone from total liability to a monster asset, their defense is playing at a top-five level and Sam Darnold is proving all of his critics wrong.

All that being said, there's still plenty of room for improvement. On offense their run game hasn't come near the potential that it showed during the preseason. Meanwhile, on defense there's at least one very big weakness.

That would be Seattle's rollercoaster cornerback Riq Woolen, who's been riding pretty low so far through the 2025 season. Woolen put in yet another bad performance against Arizona, giving up more huge catches in the clutch. That's not even his only problem, either. Here's Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune reviewing Woolen's other major issue.

Riq Woolen has a penalty problem

"He’s been penalized six times in four games. That’s the league’s second-most flags against one player; only Kansas City offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (seven) has more. Woolen’s fouls: two for pass interference, one for illegal contact, one for holding, one for illegal use of the hands and one face-mask foul. First downs galore."

The penalties alone should get Woolen benched - but that's not even his biggest problem.

Whatever the root cause is, Woolen seems to be able to play tight coverage for approximately four seconds. After that, something in his mind seems to clck off - and he completely loses focus. That's resulted in several huge completions in fourth quarters this season - and one game-losing touchdown catch that should have been an interception.

After Thursday night's game Woolen told reporters that he needs to attack the ball - and it's as simple as that. While that would certainly help, it might be more accurate to say that Woolen needs to commit to 100% effort throughout a play.

That's usually something that a coach like Mike Macdonald can get out of a player - and pretty much every other defender on the roster is performing at their absolute best. For whatever reason, Woolen can't seem to maintain that effort level throughout a play.

It's unfortunate because Woolen is such a remarkable talent and has a ceiling as high as any defensive back in the sport. The sad fact is that Woolen is playing himself out of what could have been a massive contract - and as long as he's on the field he's a risk to cost the Seahawks games.

It's past time for Macdonald to sit Woolen and let Seattle's stellar backup corners get a chance to show what they can do as a regular starter.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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