Riq Woolen is once again drawing rave reviews in training camp, and that should sound familiar to anyone who watched him with the Seattle Seahawks.
Woolen burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2022, when his combination of size and speed made him look like a possible shutdown corner in the mold of Richard Sherman. In camp, he flashed that kind of upside right away. Once the games counted, though, the picture got messier.
The biggest issue was never whether Woolen could cover. It was everything else.
He never became a reliable force against the run, and there were stretches where he seemed to avoid contact, especially after he dealt with a knee injury in training camp before his second season. That all-around impact never showed up consistently after that.
Now with the Philadelphia Eagles, Woolen is back in the spotlight and getting strong early reviews from reporters around the team. They’ve been impressed by his coverage ability and his speed. Seahawks fans, though, already know the full package.
There are nights when Woolen looks like one of the best corners in football. He can erase receivers, and on occasion he’ll step up and deliver a hard hit on a running back. But that part of his game hasn’t come often enough for a player with his physical tools.
The bigger headache has been the self-inflicted damage. Woolen has a habit of stacking mistakes, often two in a row. Last season, including against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game, he was flagged for taunting or another unsportsmanlike penalty and then gave up a big play right after.
That edge can play differently depending on the crowd. At Lumen Field, he fed off the noise. At Lincoln Financial Field, the reaction from Eagles fans could push him in the other direction, and not in a way that helps Philadelphia.
There’s also the question of discipline. In 2024, Woolen was benched for the first drive of the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings after breaking a team rule. Head coach Mike Macdonald wouldn’t say which rule was broken.
Whether Nick Sirianni handles Woolen the same way remains to be seen, but the need for structure is obvious. When Woolen is left to his own devices, the results can turn ugly fast.
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