Tag: Tariq Woolen

PFF has 20 NFL cornerbacks ranked ahead of Devon Witherspoon

The offseason of discontent continues for the Seattle Seahawks and their fans.

The offseason of discontent continues for the Seattle Seahawks and their fans. From getting consistently ranked around No. 19 in the league to seeing their projections rarely go higher than 8-9, it seems the national media is not at all sold on head coach Mike Macdonald and his talented but (previously) underachieving roster.

This week there’s a fresh round of insults, from ESPN’s Football Power Index projecting Seattle to only have a 29.1% chance of making the playoffs this year, to Pro Football Focus having 20 cornerbacks ranked ahead of rookie Pro Bowler Devon Witherspoon.

“In his first year in the NFL, Witherspoon allowed just 0.81 yards per cover snap and put up a 79.7 coverage grade. He battled with injuries, but his first year was excellent as far as rookie seasons go.”

Meanwhile his teammate Riq Woolen came in at No. 25 on PFF’s list:

“Woolen has reeled in eight interceptions over the past two years, the third-most at the position in that time frame, while his 79.0 coverage grade is good for 20th. With the emergence of Devon Witherspoon, Woolen was perhaps overlooked in 2023, but his overall play was arguably better in his second season.”

It’s a little surprising to see Woolen ranked so high given how much he struggled against the run in 2024. That only takes a little bit of the sting out of seeing Witherspoon at No. 21, though.

The good news is this is exactly the kind of thing that Witherspoon feeds on. If he can make the all-important Sophomore season leap he may be an All-Pro by this time next year. If Woolen gets back to his rookie level of play, that should give Seattle one of the top-five cornerback duos in the league.

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ESPN ranks cornerback units for all 32 teams after the 2024 NFL draft

All together, this is a relatively strong group heading into the 2024 season. Let’s see how they rank compared to the rest.

Cornerbacks in the NFL have the hardest job in team sports, requiring a special combination of athleticism, football IQ and grit – and even the very best in the world rarely have three good years in a row at this level. If that’s not enough, the rules are also against them. Geared towards offensive production, today’s game allows wide receivers to get away with all kinds of shenanigans without getting flagged and also gives opposing quarterbacks an absurd advantage on under-thrown passes that wind up as horrible DPI calls.

That unmatched level of difficulty just makes it even more important to have multiple quality options on your roster. It’s not enough to have one or even two reliable starters anymore. The quality and depth of the entire unit matters. The Seahawks seem to know this, as they and the rest of the handful of teams that typically draft better than the field all made significant investments at this spot.

While the Seahawks didn’t use an early pick on a top corner prospect, they did add two more promising backups to pair with solid veterans Artie Burns and Mike Jackson in Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James. There’s also Riq Woolen, a maybe-could-be-star-some-day who oozes potential, even if he doesn’t always live up to it. The crown jewel of this unit is the lanky and tenacious Devon Witherspoon, who sews destruction everywhere he lines up but raises the most hell from the slot. Witherspoon has All-Pro potential and might even be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate some day down the line if he improves his tackling.

All together, this is a relatively strong group heading into the 2024 season. Let’s see how they rank compared to the rest. Here’s how Mike Clay at ESPN ranked each team’s cornerback unit after the draft.

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Geno Smith posts fastest time for the Seahawks in 2024 offseason

There are several far superior athletes on the roster, but Geno Smith’s competitive fire continues to set the pace for the Seattle Seahawks heading towards the 2024 season.

There are several far superior athletes on the roster, but Geno Smith’s competitive fire continues to set the pace for the Seattle Seahawks heading towards the 2024 season.

Yesterday Smith shared a photo of a chart at the team facility which shows the fastest speeds players have clocked so far this offseason. Smith was at the top of the list, checking in at 21.67 miles per hour – just edging out third-year cornerback Riq Woolen for the crown.

It’s always a good thing when your quarterback is the best athlete on your roster – but what really matters is that they have what Smith displayed here – the will to win. In no world is Smith actually faster than Woolen or Devon Witherspoon or any number of the skill players on this list, but as we saw in the fourth quarter over and over again this past season Smith has another gear that he can reach as a competitor that most at this level don’t.

Our best guess is that 2024 will be Smith’s last year as a starter, even though he has another year on his contract. However, we’re also learning that you really can’t count him out. As a bridge quarterback Smith shouldn’t have lasted as QB1 as long as he has. Only through sheer willpower has he managed to hang onto that job.

Smith will never be as popular as Russell Wilson or Matt Hasselbeck were at their peak, but I think we’re going to look back on this Geno Smith era much more fondly than the average fan believes.

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Seahawks CB Riq Woolen earns 10th-biggest performance bonus for 2023

While most accounts have Woolen’s second season as being a disappointment, he played well enough to earn himself a sizable bonus.

No team in the NFL may be as blessed as the Seahawks are at the cornerback position. Last year they spent a fifth overall pick on Illinois corner Devon Witherspoon, who came into the league a fully-formed superstar. The previous year they landed a gem in the fifth round of the draft in Riq Woolen out of UTSA.

While most accounts have Woolen’s second season as being a disappointment, he played well enough to earn himself a sizable bonus. Yesterday the league announced the performance-based pay distributions for players around the NFL from last season and Woolen earned $839,154 which was the 10th most in the league.

Like his rookie year, Woolen continued to do strong work in coverage in 2023, earning a 75.0 overall grade from PFF and posting two interceptions and a 79.8 passer rating allowed. However, he got poor marks for his run defense (37.3) and missed nine tackle attempts (14.5%). Woolen was even benched at one point in favor of Mike Jackson.

If he wants to hang onto that right boundary spot in the long run, Woolen will have to show more willingness to help out in run D and put his nose in there to make tackles. However, he has all the physical tools he needs to be an All-Pro in the future, the same as Witherspoon.

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Sunday’s loss to the Steelers should be a sobering wakeup call.

The Seahawks have apparently used up all of their dramatic comeback win cards for the season. Sunday’s loss to the Steelers should be a sobering wakeup call for a team that had an all-time terrible tackling performance. In that part of the game, only off-ball linebacker Devin Bush showed any real promise – and his PFF grade reflects that. Seattle’s defense also got strong efforts from Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed up front and Riq Woolen outside. The rest of it was pretty ugly on that side of the ball, though.

Offensively, a familiar theme played out. While his numbers may not match what he did against Dallas, this was the third straight start for Geno Smith where he was under significant pressure by the opponent’s pass rush and still put together an incredibly impressive performance. Geno’s over-80 grade along with a solid game from the tight ends led the offense.

Here are 12 of the top individual PFF grades for the team this week.

Takeaways and observations from Eagles 33-25 win over Giants in Week 16

We’re looking at takeaways and observations from the Philadelphia Eagles 33-25 win over New York Giants in Week 16

Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak and needs to beat Arizona next week and defeat the Giants again in the season finale to finish atop the NFC East.

The Eagles (11-4) now hold a one-game lead over the Cowboys in the NFC East after their 33-25 win over the Giants on Christmas Day.   Philadelphia is 11-0 at the Linc against New York since 2014 and beat the Giants three times last season in Brian Daboll’s first season.

With the matchup complete, here are takeaways and observations of the ugly win.

Instant analysis of Eagles 33-25 win over the Giants on Christmas Day

We’re looking at the instant analysis of the Philadelphia Eagles 33-25 win over the New York Giants on Christmas Day at Lincoln Financial Field

It wasn’t pretty, but the Eagles (11-4) now hold a one-game lead over the Cowboys in the NFC East after their 33-25 win over the Giants on Christmas Day.

Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak and needs to beat Arizona next week and defeat the Giants again in the season finale to finish atop the NFC East.

The Eagles are 11-0 at the Linc against New York since 2014 and beat the Giants three times last season in Brian Daboll’s first season.

With the matchup complete, here’s an instant analysis of the ugly win.

Highlights and takeaways from first half as Eagles hold a 20-3 lead over Giants

We’re looking at takeaways from the first half as the Philadelphia Eagles hold a 20-3 lead over the New York Giants on Christmas Day

The Eagles needed some good vibes at Lincoln Financial Field, and through one half of play, Matt Patricia’s defense has been stout while holding Brian Daboll’s offense to three total points.

On offense, A.J. Brown broke DeVonta Smith’s record for receptions in a season, while Jalen Hurts moved past Cam Newton for rushing touchdowns in a season.

Philadelphia is up 20-3, with room for more efficiency.

With the second half underway, we’re looking at highlights and takeaways from the first half.

Eagles vs. Giants inactives for Week 16: Ben VanSumeren to make 1st NFL start

The Philadelphia Eagles released their list of inactives and rookie linebacker Ben VanSumeren will start in place of Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunnnigham

The Eagles released their list of inactives for Christmas Day, and rookie linebacker Ben VanSumeren will play a critical role, with Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow ruled out.

With the linebacker depth already thin, Philadelphia will counter Saquon Barkley with Shaquille Leonard, VanSumeren, and Brandon Smith, who was elevated from the practice squad for today’s game.

Guard Cam Jurgens will start at right guard after missing last week’s game in Seattle. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith was a limited participant at practice on Saturday but has no game status designation and will play.