For the past several weeks, there’s been speculation that the Seattle Seahawks could look to deal embattled cornerback Riq Woolen ahead of the NFL’s Nov. 4 trade deadline.
Brock Huard expects a Seahawks move before NFL trade deadline
The trade speculation comes after a particularly rough start to the season for Woolen, whose up-and-down tenure with the Seahawks has featured both flashes of tantalizing potential and an array of head-scratching mistakes.
“They’ve been wanting to move him for a while,” one NFL executive said, according to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler in an article published on Wednesday. “He doesn’t fit what (head coach Mike Macdonald) wants to do.”
Woolen, a 2022 Pro Bowler, is in the final year of his rookie contract. He doesn’t seem to be a likely contract extension candidate for the Seahawks, due to both his inconsistent play and the fact that several other players from Seattle’s talented 2022 draft class would appear to be higher priorities.
So, if the Seahawks aren’t going to re-sign Woolen, there’s an argument to trade him now to ensure they receive at least some value in return.
But on the other hand, Woolen still seems to be the third cornerback on Seattle’s depth chart behind Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe. And the Seahawks employ a heavy dose of five-defensive-back sets, which means having either a third cornerback or a third safety on the field.
Would the Seahawks be better off trying to trade Woolen? Or as a 5-2 team that looks like a potential NFC contender, should they keep him around for the rest of the year, even if that means letting him walk in free agency after the season?
When posed that question Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah went with the latter option. Jeremiah believes cornerback depth is simply too valuable in the NFL, and he doesn’t think Woolen would command enough trade value in return.
“I always go back to conversations at cutdown day every single year around the league. If you talk to every GM, they’ll tell you the same thing: We just need one more tackle and one more corner – if we could just find a tackle and a corner,” Jeremiah said. “And there’s gonna be attrition. So to me, if I have any depth on the offensive line or in the secondary, I don’t know that I’m willing to deal from that at this point in time if you’ve got a team that’s capable of going on a run.
“I get where he is and you’ve got guys coming back and he hasn’t been what you hoped he would be. But I don’t know. What are you gonna get? Are you gonna get a fifth or a sixth-round pick?”
Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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