The Seattle Seahawks could be without superstar cornerback Riq Woolen against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football. Woolen missed Tuesday’s practice with an ankle injury designation. It was his second consecutive missed practice, though it’s worth noting Monday’s session was simply a walk through.
Woolen exited Sunday’s defeat to the New York Giants after 49 snaps with that ankle injury. Had Woolen played the entire contest, he’d likely be Seattle’s most-snapped cornerback this season. He now trails Devon Witherspoon by 21 snaps for that achievement. That’s how critical Seattle’s premier cover-man is to Mike Macdonald’s defense.
With Woolen trending on the wrong side of questionable, Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde are tasked with coming up with solutions. If Woolen doesn’t play, the likeliest scenario sees the Seahawks playing Witherspoon and Tre Brown on the outside with veteran corner Artie Burns in the slot. Burns is currently on the practice squad, but is expected to be promoted to the 53 man roster, or can be used as a standard game-day elevation.
Witherspoon has typically played slot corner this season, but kicking him outside allows the Seahawks to get the more experienced Burns into the lineup. The alternative would be to start fifth-round rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett. That would be risky against a 49ers offense that features Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel at receiver, hence why promoting Burns makes more sense.
Burns totaled more than 200 defensive snaps for the Seahawks last season. Pro Football Focus assigned him a stellar coverage grade of 66.6. He allowed a passer rating under 100, and forfeited just 9.6 yards per reception. Burns is Seattle’s best answer to Woolen’s injury in a critical NFC West primetime showdown.
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