Seahawks could have a big development brewing at CB
Sep 20, 2024, 8:14 AM
Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks celebrate a takeaway. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
(Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
Two games into the Seattle Seahawks’ first season with head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense, there’s a lot to be excited about.
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Perhaps at the top of the list is what their starting cornerback tandem is doing. And we’re not just talking about what you usually think about when it comes to cornerbacks.
Yes, Seahawks corners Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen are tough to beat in coverage. But they’re proving to be valuable in a more smash-mouth sense, too.
That’s not as much of a surprise with Witherspoon, a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2023 who came out of Illinois known for hitting harder than is expected from someone with a 6-foot, 185-pound frame.
It’s less expected to be the case with third-year corner Riq Woolen, who followed a Pro Bowl turn as a rookie in 2022 with a sophomore season that came with concerns, especially when it comes to defending the run. He finished the 2023 season with a 20% missed tackle rate, and his 37.3 run defense grade ranked No. 210 out of 229 qualified cornerbacks in the league (all stats per Pro Football Focus).
Through the first two weeks of this season, though, Woolen is holding up his end of the bargain much better in that aspect. He ranks 35th out of 98 qualified cornerbacks with a 67.8 run defense grade. And that looks even better knowing that Witherspoon leads all NFL cornerbacks with an 87.8 grade.
On Thursday’s Blue 88 segment during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, FOX football analyst and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard talked about that can impact the Seahawks should the trend continue.
“So much talk about the Seahawks cornerbacks in coverage, right?” Huard said.”… If Riq Woolen ends this year (grading high in run defense), they’re gonna be the best corner tandem in the league, period, bar none. (Woolen’s run defense) was a question last year. He ate the big meal. He did not bring it physically. Through two games, he’s putting his face right in the fan.”
Brock Huard answers three football questions during Blue 88 at 7:45 daily on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. Listen to Thursday’s segment at this link or in the podcast player below.
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