A Tariq Woolen injury was the last thing the Seattle Seahawks‘ secondary needed. Woolen finished third in the NFL‘s Defensive Rookie of the Year voting a season ago after intercepting six passes in his first season with the Seahawks. That number led the entire NFL a season ago alongside names like Minkah Fitzpatrick, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Justin Simmons. How much time will Woolen miss, and what does it mean for the Seahawks?
Tariq Woolen Injury
Apparently, the injury is a week old now, and the second-year cornerback had surgery to repair the knee Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter.
“Tariq Woolen injured his knee while walking on the practice field for OTA’s one week ago,” Schefter tweeted. “Doctors reviewed the injury and Woolen underwent surgery today in Houston, which went as well as doctors could have hoped, per source.”
The injury is expected to sideline him until training camp. Woolen and the team are lucky that the injury wasn’t more significant.
What This Means for Seahawks’ Defense
Jamal Adams’ injuries were very severe, and the veteran safety may not be available for Week 1.
“He’s working his tail off,” Seahawks GM John Schneider told reporters. “We want to be really careful with this. It’s been two years in a row now that he’s been banged up. … We want to be really careful with his progression. Training camp? I’m just not sure.”
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks won’t be ready to start the season.
MORE: Seattle Seahawks OTAs Preview — Injuries and Rookies Dominate the Show
But missing just a bit of time could be a good thing for the Seahawks’ secondary in the long run. They absolutely need to figure out the depth situation behind Woolen and Devon Witherspoon.
Mike Jackson, Artie Burns, Tre Brown, Coby Bryant, and Jerrick Reed II all have a golden opportunity to get a few more reps and show the coaching staff they can be relied upon.
But as long as Woolen is back before Week 1 with a clean bill of health, the Seahawks’ defense could actually end up benefitting from this minor setback. There’s a reason the front office used the fifth pick in the NFL Draft at the position and drafted another one in Round 6.
Although Seattle ranked 10th in dropback success rate on defense, they ranked 19th in dropback EPA. Adding Witherspoon should help the Seattle defense greatly, but they need a third cornerback to step up. This minor injury could help clear up who that could be.