Rookie cornerbacks Coby Bryant, Tariq Woolen impressing at Seahawks camp
RENTON, Wash. - Outside the quarterback battle between Geno Smith and Drew Lock, the spotlight of training camp for the Seattle Seahawks has been on the cornerback spot and particularly rookies Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen.
Bryant is the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner as the best defensive back in college football while at the University of Cincinnati.
Woolen is a converted former wide receiver that is as athletically gifted as any cornerback in the NFL.
Bryant and Woolen have been regularly running with the second-team defense throughout the first two weeks of training camp. Bryant has been on the left side behind Sidney Jones. Woolen has been on the right side behind free agent addition Artie Burns.
But as the Seahawks' preseason opener approaches on Saturday, both Jones and Burns are sidelined with injuries. Jones got hit in the head in practice last week and is nursing a concussion. Burns pulled up with a groin strain during practice on Tuesday. Those injuries have bumped Bryant Jones up with the first-team defense in practices.
Bryant and Woolen have both flashed their ability in training camp and had strong moments in the team's "mock game" scrimmage last Saturday.
"Those two guys, they’ve been doing well," head coach Pete Carroll said on Tuesday. It’s been totally different, the way they make their plays, the way they play the game, it’s totally different. But, they uniquely have qualities that are really exciting."
Bryant is the more polished product while Woolen has stunning physical tools in a still unmolded form. Bryant has started to be moved around a bit more. He's lined up in the slot in nickel packages at times this week, too. Bryant has also gotten some looks on the right side as well.
"He’s such a well-rounded football player," Carroll said. "The play-making ability has really shown up. There might be more opportunities for him to do more things, be more available to make plays. We talked to him about it. He’s been training not only on the field but off the field knowing that this was coming. And so this was the right time to do it."
Woolen doesn't seem to be nearly as raw as a player as the Seahawks may have thought they were getting when they selected him out of Texas-San Antonio this spring. Woolen only made the move to cornerback late int he 2019 season, so he has limited time on the defensive side of the ball. But at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Woolen ran a 4.26-yard 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February, which is tied for the fifth-fastest mark in history. He earned the nickname "Riq the Freak" for his athletic prowess. His teammates in Seattle have dubbed him "Avatar" for those same qualities.
"He’s really, beautifully suited to play the position in the style that we like coaching them, and I really couldn’t ask for a whole lot more in terms of size, speed, stature, length, all that stuff," Carroll said of Woolen. "I love that he’s really even-keeled in handling things, and things aren’t bothering him. If he gets beat by something, he bounces right back. He seems very clear-headed in that regard. He’s just as talented as you could hope to get. I’ve never had a guy that has more than he does. I’ve had a lot of corners come in, I’ve tried a lot of times with the big guys, and I’ve never seen a guy better equipped to take it. And, he makes it look easy at times, and that’s a really good trait. We have to just see, he hasn’t done anything yet, but we’re on our way."
Woolen nearly had an interception in the scrimmage last week and had another pass breakup too. A third breakup deflected into the air with Cody Thompson making an acrobatic move to catch the falling football out of the air for the lone receiving touchdown of the afternoon.
"Honestly, I thought I did a good job. It was still good coverage, but you’ve got to finish the play," Woolen said on Saturday. "I was thinking the ball may have went out of bounds. I was just looking for it and the next thing you know I turn around, and he’s lying on the ground like this with the ball and I was like ‘Oh wow’. It was just a good play though."
Woolen had a great play against DK Metcalf in Wednesday afternoon's practice. Woolen managed to rake the ball out of Metcalf's grasp in 1-on-1 drills
Bryant has been a steady presence throughout training camp and looks fully suited for the NFL level.
"Coby has been all over the place," Carroll said. "He’s made plays in the running game, in the passing game, he’s been very effective and made another play in the scrimmage at Lumen, and he’s doing well. He shows a lot of flexibility in a lot of core areas, and really, I’m not at all concerned about him playing a bunch in this game too."
With the injuries to Jones and Burns, the Seahawks had to add some depth to the position on Wednesday. Jameson Houston, who went undrafted out of Baylor in 2020, was signed to add to the group ahead of Saturday's preseason game in Pittsburgh. Neither Jones or Burns seem set to get back on the field. John Reid is also dealing with a groin injury as well. That likely puts Bryant and Woolen into starting roles for the preseason opener against the Steelers.
"We’re just going to see how far these guys can take it. This is a really nice-looking pair of guys, and we’re very fortunate," Carroll said.