Riq Woolen has a new injury issue.
Earlier this season, he appeared to have an issue about his future in Seattle beyond this season.
One of those issues seems to be going away.
Woolen was a limited participant in practice Wednesday for the second consecutive day, three days before the top-seeded Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional playoffs at Lumen Field. The team is listing a new oblique issue for their cornerback who plays the majority of defensive snaps.
It remains to be seen how that may limit Woolen in what would be his second career postseason game Saturday.
Early this season, Woolen was benched for Josh Jobe opposite Devon Witherspoon as starting cornerbacks in base defense. Woolen had penalty issues, and problems playing passes in the air. That included two completions on him, by Ricky Pearsall and third-string tight end Jake Tonges for a touchdown, late in the opening game against the 49ers, Sept. 7. That became Seattle’s 17-13 home loss, one of just three losses in 17 games for the Seahawks this season.
“I’ve got to attack the ball. That’s pretty much it,” Woolen said after that game.
October was full of reports and rumors that the Seahawks were trying to trade their Pro Bowl selection his rookie season of 2022. This is the final season of his rookie contract. His deal ends when Seattle’s season does.
The NFL trade deadline passed in early November without Woolen traded.
As the season progressed into November, coach Mike Macdonald began using more nickel and dime defenses with five and six defensive backs. Woolen was the sixth DB. And he improved, to the point of excelling. Though his one interception in 16 games is his lowest for a season in his career so far, he has eliminated his penalties. He is making plays on passes in the air. And he has been making sure tackles immediately after catches, part of a key trend on the NFL’s best scoring defense of limiting yards after catches.
Suddenly, the latter half of the season, small plays have stayed small plays instead of turning into big ones against Woolen. He’s played better than Jobe. Woolen allowed roughly the same number of receptions (39, after 36) in generally the same number of times targeted (68 to 72) this regular season as last season. Yet Woolen’s average yards per reception allowed have gone down, from 11.1 yards to 8.8.
Wednesday, Macdonald was asked what he learned about Woolen in his response from getting benched in September to his rebound in November, December into January’s playoffs.
“I think those are kind of expectations you have for your guys. That’s how we want to handle those situations,” Macdonald said. “Sometimes it comes different ways and guys have different ways of reacting to it. But that’s kind of the types of guys we want around here.
“And Riq is one of those guys. He’s done a great job.”
These are the final games of Woolen’s contract.
These no longer seem like the final games of Woolen’s time with Seattle.
DeMarcus Lawrence full go
One day after getting some across the Pacific Northwest concerned because he was limited in practice Tuesday by a new Achilles injury listing, Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was full go in practice.
The 33-year-old veteran of nine NFL postseason games in his first 11 seasons with Dallas again jogged smoothly onto the field to begin practice.
Macdonald said Lawrence is playing Saturday, as he has in 16 of the 17 games this season.
“Yeah, yeah. The Achilles is something that he’s had,” the head coach said. “It’s kind of not a new thing. It’s just something we’re managing.”
Asked if he’ was worried about not having Lawrence against the 49ers Saturday, Macdonald said: “No.”
Extra points
• Charles Cross went from a full participant Tuesday to limited Wednesday. The team added knee to his listing of a hamstring issue. Cross has missed the last three games with an injured hamstring. Josh Jones has started the last three games for him at left tackle.
• Macdonald is calling this “Week 19” of the season, attempting to not make any bigger deal of the playoffs than need be. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, Pro Bowl defensive end Leonard Williams and other players are echoing the talk of “Week 19.” Of course, given last week’s bye through the wild-card playoffs following the 18-week regular season — 17 games and one bye — this is actually week 20.
• Kupp, Lawrence and defensive tackle Jarran Reed co-lead the Seahawks with nine playoff games in their careers. Kupp’s were with the Los Angeles Rams, for whom he was the Super Bowl MVP at the end of the 2021 season. He says, yes, the playoffs are different. “The atmosphere of pregame is different. There’s definitely an excitement of playoff football. But then the game starts and you’re playing ball, I remember the (L.A.) Coliseum, walking out there (for his first career playoff game Jan. 6, 2018, Rams versus Atlanta), and it’s like, man, the buzz was real pregame. But then you go out there and you’re playing. …once the first snap happens, you’re playing ball.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
