Analysis: Should Seahawks Bench Riq Woolen in Favor of Josh Jobe Against Steelers?
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While incredibly talented, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen's inconsistency finishing plays has once again put him in the coach's dog house. Credit: Riq Woolen/Instagram [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - Only three seasons ago, Riq Woolen stamped his name as the latest fifth round receiver-turned-cornerback phenom to breakout with the Seattle Seahawks, garnering Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after leading the NFL with six interceptions.
But as Woolen approaches free agency next March, his current trajectory provides further proof that life comes at you fast in the NFL. Coming off a dismal finish in a 17-13 loss to the 49ers where he surrendered a 45-yard completion to receiver Ricky Pearsall and the game-winning touchdown to tight end Jake Tonges, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald hasn’t dismissed the possibility that the uber-athletic cornerback could be benched heading into Sunday’s road opener against the Steelers, saying “we’ll see” when asked if the former Pro Bowler would be in the lineup in Pittsburgh prior to Wednesday’s practice.
While Macdonald indicated Woolen has handled the aftermath of Sunday’s disappointment quite well and he expects the player to respond favorably, that was far from the best endorsement to receive from the head coach and defensive play caller just one game into the season, especially after Woolen briefly hit the bench last season in a December loss to the Vikings.
“He’s great. We had a similar situation last year, and every person had a conversation about what their role is going to be,” Macdonald said. “You need to operate like that as a coaching staff and keep it real with them. But they've been tremendous. Tell them with love, tell them the truth, and let’s go to work.”
When it comes to being honest with players, Macdonald isn’t one to sugar coat things evaluating performance and holding them accountable. Now in his second year on the job in Seattle, when he has made public comments putting a player’s starting job into question as he did with Woolen on both Monday and Wednesday, those words haven’t rung hollow. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite.
Last season, after publicly expressing his concerns about the play of the front seven against the run on multiple occasions, Macdonald wasted little time moving on from starting linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson, who both had been jettisoned out of town by Week 10. When guard Anthony Bradford went down with a season-ending injury, everyone expected third-round pick Christian Haynes to replace him, but considering the coach’s lukewarm assessments of the rookie dating back to training camp, nobody should have been surprised the Seahawks went with sixth-round pick Sataoa Laumea for the final six games instead.
And in the secondary, Coby Bryant replaced an injured Rayshawn Jenkins at strong safety and Josh Jobe usurped a struggling Tre Brown at cornerback in Week 7, with both players impressing Macdonald to the point where they retained starting jobs for the remainder of the season and returned as core defenders in the backfield for 2025.
In other words, when Macdonald has hinted action coming in regard to lineup changes, Seattle has typically done just that. Performance earns opportunities, and for a second straight year, Jobe has forced the coaching staff’s hand given his stellar play and Woolen’s inability to finish plays in critical moments.
While Woolen floundered down the stretch in the season opener, Jobe flourished at the other boundary spot, locking down 49ers receivers all afternoon. Targeted five times by quarterback Brock Purdy, he yielded one reception for just one yard and made a leaping interception in the fourth quarter after staying stride for stride on a crossing route with the speedy Pearsall, continuing to capitalize on every opportunity the Seahawks give him and making a positive impact.
“This is a guy that has come in and really bought into the process, and the details matter for him, and he does it every day,” Macdonald said of Jobe, reminding reporters that this time a year ago, he wasn’t even on the team. “There's a consistency there that you respect, and he's earned these opportunities, which is really cool. If you were the coach of the team, wouldn't you want it to work like that? Guys coming in, earning their opportunities, developing, growing as players, as people, that's what he's done.”
Since initially joining Seattle’s practice squad last September after being waived by Philadelphia, Jobe has been a revelation in Macdonald’s secondary. Making 10 starts after replacing Brown in a road win over Atlanta, he allowed only one touchdown in coverage while recording an interception and five pass breakups, earning himself a new one-year contract in March. Once camp arrived in July, he continued to stack strong days while seeing consistent reps with the first-team defense and played well in the preseason, showing his performance from last year wasn’t a fluke.
Coming off the best game of his career in Week 1, Jobe has become a staple in the Seahawks’ secondary who garners the respect of coaches and teammates alike due to his toughness, reliability, work ethic, attention to detail, and high football IQ. Those traits - ones that undoubtedly matter to Macdonald as much as anything - have allowed him to mitigate perceived athletic limitations coming out of Alabama as an undrafted free agent and carve out a major role in a defensive backfield that includes a former top-five pick in Devon Witherspoon and two standout safeties in Julian Love and Bryant.
If Macdonald and his staff want to continue practicing what they preach, then Jobe should be in the lineup, as he has been the more consistent, reliable player for more than half a season sample size and deserves the chance to show what he can do as a starter.
At the same time, however, the Seahawks also can’t be too rash when it comes to making such decisions after only one game, particularly with a player like Woolen who has off the charts tools and plenty of on field production on his resume. Reading through the tea leaves, Macdonald seems to understand that balancing act, knowing he must keep the player focused and work on building his confidence back up, not tearing him down, as they will need him firing on all cylinders to reach their full potential this season.
Considering Pittsburgh, who has two speedsters atop the depth chart in former Seahawks star DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin, Seattle also has to be cognizant of matchups while making a decision on how to proceed at cornerback, at least for Week 2. Jobe held his own against Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, and a banged up San Francisco 49ers’ receiving corps, but it’s not an unwarranted concern wondering if he will be able to do the same against two explosive wideouts with 4.3 wheels who excel stretching the field vertically and each averaged at least 17.5 yards per reception against New York last week.
It’s also worth noting that Jobe’s worst game last season came against the Jets, who were quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers, now under center for the Steelers. He yielded a season-high six catches for 66 yards and his only touchdown in coverage during that contest in the Meadowlands, struggling with the likes of Garrett Wilson and Devante Adams on the outside.
On the flip side, at least before losing Pearsall a couple of times last weekend, Woolen’s bread and butter has been taking away vertical passes with his 6-4 size, sub-4.3 speed, and receiver-caliber ball skills. He also has had success sparring with Metcalf on the practice field from their time as teammates, being one of the few corners in the NFL who has enough length coupled with elite burst to physically match up with the 6-4, 228-pound weapon.
Woolen also had a great game against Rodgers last November, allowing one catch for five yards on seven targets with a pass breakup and yielding a 39.6 passer rating in coverage.
Ultimately, past games shouldn’t hold too much sway and Macdonald’s decision may not be a tricky one at all this week with injuries actually helping solve what may seem like a major conundrum. With rookie safety Nick Emmanwori recovering from a high ankle sprain and not expected to play for at least a couple of weeks, Witherspoon will be asked to slide inside as the primary slot defender, meaning that unless the Seahawks want to send a real message playing Nehemiah Pritchett, Derion Kendrick, or Shaquill Griffin as the other boundary cornerback, Woolen and Jobe will both have to be on the field together in nickel and dime sets anyway.
But looking long term, Macdonald has given Woolen a not-so-subtle warning this time around. Either pick up your play to the standard Seattle expects or when Emmanwori returns, you’ll be finding yourself standing next to coaches a lot more than actually being on the field, and starting on Sunday, regardless of whether he starts or not, his job - as well as his future with the franchise - will be on the line competing for snaps with Jobe nipping at his heels and hungry for more opportunities.
