Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is overly optimistic about his roster, which is the case with every NFL coach this time of year. But Carroll also has displayed some uneasiness about his defense, with many prominent players missing time throughout training camp.
Seattle prioritized the defense in the offseason, partly because the unit struggled with stopping the run, allowing an average of 150.2 rushing yards per game, which ranked 30th in the league in 2022.
But with the notable moves they made, such as signing interior defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones and drafting cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 pick in the first round, the Seahawks could have the right pieces for being a formidable defense in 2023.
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Second-year cornerback Riq Woolen had a different way of explaining what the Seahawks could potentially have with their revamped defense, which includes the return of linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive lineman Jarran Reed.
“We have a formula for a scary defense,” says Woolen, who recently shortened his first name from Tariq to Riq.
Carroll agrees with the assessment, but the regular season is a month away, and the defense hasn’t been close to practicing at full strength, with safety Jamal Adams and linebacker Jordyn Brooks sidelined.
Woolen was recently activated from the physically unable to perform list after missing the past two months due to a knee injury, but he hasn’t participated in full team drills.
To make matters worse, Witherspoon will likely miss a few days of practice after exiting early from Monday’s workout, according to Carroll.
“I don’t want to think this, but it could take us a while,” Carroll told Sports Illustrated about improving the run defense. “With Jamal and Jordyn both out, both of those guys are like our best players, and they’re going to come back to us in time, so that’s going to be a part of the process as well. We’ll try to have them all caught up, but there will be some questions until we get rolling. Once we get going and everybody is settled in, it’s going to be a fine group.”
Witherspoon could be a big piece in improving the run defense this season. The Seahawks have primarily played him in the slot this summer due to his instincts and polished tackling skills. But Carroll made it clear that Witherspoon playing inside instead of outside with Woolen doesn’t diminish him as a player.
“If we’re able to commit to him to be the nickel, it’s a big statement about him, about who he is and the awareness that he has,” Carroll says, “because we wouldn’t do it unless he’s ready, and if he can show us that, you put a player who’s a very active, aggressive player in a spot where a lot of things happen. So, I’m really excited about that if it can come together, but we’ll have to wait.”
Woolen and star wide receiver DK Metcalf also raved about Witherspoon.
“From what I’ve seen in practice, he’s very scrappy,” Metcalf says. “He’s very competitive. He’s always around the ball. He’s always near the person with the ball. He’s already made some big-time tackles and big-time hits while he’s been in training camp.”
“He’s got real aggression,” Woolen says. “Him playing nickel and also outside a little bit, he shows a great amount of confidence.”
Woolen surprised many with how well he played in 2022 as a fifth-round rookie. His 6'4", 210-pound frame and blazing speed of 4.26 seconds in the 40-yard dash quickly made him one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the league—he recorded a league-high six interceptions and made the Pro Bowl.
But Woolen is out to prove his rookie year was no fluke. He might have also gotten overlooked by some, with the Jets’ Sauce Gardner also flourishing as a rookie cornerback last year.
“I did learn that some people think my season last year was maybe a fluke or they thought, ‘Oh, it wasn’t good enough,’ even though my stats were better than a lot of corners,” Woolen says. “Honestly, I really didn’t care after that, but at the same time, it just adds a little fuel to the fire for the season that’s coming up.”
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On paper, the Seahawks are loaded on both sides of the ball. They also drafted wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Zach Charbonnet to go with Metcalf, wide receiver Tyler Lockett and running back Kenneth Walker III. And if quarterback Geno Smith builds off his breakout 2022 season, the Seahawks could have enough talent to dethrone the 49ers in the NFC West.
“Exciting,” Metcalf says about the rivalry with the 49ers. “If there’s one team that I love playing against, I’m glad we play them twice a year, it’s the 49ers, because it’s always good competition. It’s always going to be a fun game.”
Not many are picking the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl, but they’re not being overlooked as they were this time last year before opening their first season without quarterback Russell Wilson. They’re a dangerous squad with many rising players.
Carroll knows what he has on his roster, but he’s not afraid to admit it will take some time for all the pieces to mesh, especially on the defensive side.
“This is a familiar place to be for me,” says the former Super Bowl–winning head coach. “I feel like we have people in the right spots, and I love the characters that are making up this team.”
