Seahawks’ CB derby: Tariq Woolen up, Coby Bryant down, Artie Burns rolls on, 2 are injured

Last week’s rookie phenom has been replaced. By this week’s rookie phenom.

One of last year’s starters has yet to get back on the field. The other starter from 2021 is also injured and out indefinitely.

The only guy who’s been holding down a starting job so far at the position is a former first-round pick. He’s been given up on by the team that drafted him, then by another team that kept him for less than two-thirds of a single season.

Oh, and the two position coaches training these guys are brand new to the players and the team.

Welcome to the Seahawks’ 2022 cornerback competition, a daily show of “What’s next?” in Seattle’s training camp.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see guys finding themselves,” coach Pete Carroll said.

“We’re making a lot of progress. We’ve defended a lot of balls in camp, so far. The guys have done a really nice job. But, technique-wise, I really think we should give a lot of credit to (new secondary coach) Karl Scott. I think he’s doing a fantastic job with these guys. And thrilled about this connection already, and the detail that he has been able to convey to them. The way they’re playing (it’s) obvious.”

The raw rookie

Tariq Woolen entered the month as camp’s curiosity. He is a former wide receiver at the University of Texas-San Antonio. He’s 6 feet, 4-1/8 inches tall, the third-tallest cornerback at the league’s scouting combine in the last 16 years. He has run the 40-yard dash in 4.26 seconds.

Carroll says, a lot, he’s never seen a man that big run as fast as Woolen. Woolen’s vertical leap is 42 inches. He’s the only player since the start of 2006 to run that fast in the 40 and jump that high at the NFL scouting combine.

Seattle’s fifth-round draft choice in April was considered the raw prospect on the outside looking in to this cornerback competition. Yet Woolen has stayed with DK Metcalf and former Olympic track team member Marquise Goodwin on go routes in every practice of camp. Goodwin tests the rookie daily. He tries to run by him five, six times each practice. Not once has Woolen allowed Goodwin to get behind him.

In the Seahawks’ mock-game scrimmage Saturday at Lumen Field, Woolen again stayed in front of Goodwin for all of a 40-yard route down the left sideline. Quarterback Geno Smith should not have thrown a pass only Woolen had the chance to catch. The ball hit the ground as he lunged for it.

Later in the scrimmage Woolen had perhaps the most difficult pass for an NFL cornerback to defend, the back-shoulder throw, covered by being right in the chest of wide receiver Cody Thompson into the end zone. Thompson tapped the ball behind Woolen to himself to secure an impressive touchdown pass from Drew Lock, the only scoring pass of the day.

Sunday, the most recent practice before the players’ day off Monday, Woolen was the starting right cornerback for the third consecutive day. That’s been while 2021 starter Sidney Jones has been out with a concussion.

“As far as Tariq, man, one thing I will say about him is he’s open, eager to learn and attentive,” Scott said. “He wants what you have to give him.”

Asked what part of Woolen’s game needs to improve in only his fourth year playing the position, Scott said: “I would say just football intelligence of knowing situationally what’s going on around him, and it’s not just him. That’s everybody, trying to teach those guys the game.

“I think a lot of times we get lost in athletes and guys just playing football instead of learning the nuances of the game and helping yourself out, especially at the defensive back position.”

Sean Desai is the Seahawks’ new associate head coach for defense, specifically remaking the secondary with Scott. They are teaching new, more varied coverages, man-to-man with zone and blitzing, than Seattle has used in the last decade under Carroll. Three safeties among five- and six-defensive back sets may be more the Seahawks’ norm this season. That increases the reliance on solid cornerback play outside, to improve what was the NFL’s 31st-ranked defense last season.

Desai likes what he’s seen from Woolen, though the coach with a Ph.D. in education knows the rookie has much more to learn.

“Sid was out, so it was the next man up. (Woolen) had some opportunities, and he did a good job with that opportunity,” Desai said.

“He has to continue to keep growing and learning some of the details of our techniques and fundamentals that we are trying to teach. But he’s in a good spot right now.”

Bryant with the 2s

The rookie fourth-round pick from Cincinnati ascended to starting for parts of the first days of camp. Bryant denied Metcalf in the end zone on a back-shoulder throw from Lock with perfect timing. Late in Friday’s practice, Bryant and Woolen were the starting cornerbacks.

In recent days, including Saturday’s mock game, Bryant has been the second cornerback on the left side.

“He is much similar to the other rookies right now. They are right in the middle of camp, in the thick of it, where the volume starts adding up on some guys,” Desai said. “And he has done a great job of preparing.

“Like I said, it’s still about execution. And so his big focus is just to remain in the playbook and make sure that he’s executing the techniques that we are kind of teaching him and tailoring to his skill set.”

Artie Burns’ rebirth

Veteran Artie Burns might be reinventing his NFL career. Pittsburgh made him the 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Miami. He started all 16 regular-season games for the Steelers in 2017. Opposing quarterbacks completed more than 64% of their passes at Burns for five touchdowns and whopping passer rating of 143.2 against him that season. By 2019, he was a healthy inactive on game days, watching from the Steelers’ sidelines in sweatsuits.

He played for no one in 2020. The Chicago Bears signed him for 2021. He lasted only 11 games, six starts. But last year he learned Desai’s system of coverages and techniques; Desai was Chicago’s defensive coordinator last season.

After the Seahawks hired Desai, they signed the 6-foot Burns the same day they lost starting cornerback D.J. Reed in free agency to the New York Jets. Burns has played the most decisively in camp. Unlike every other defensive back, he isn’t thinking about Desai’s new system. He already knows it, so he’s playing fast.

That and 2021 Seahawks starter Tre Brown remaining on the physically-unable-to-perform list following knee surgery that ended his rookie season last November are why the 27-year-old Burns has been the one constant starter through the first 12 days of training camp.

Desai doesn’t want to credit his scheme with Burns’ early success with the Seahawks.

“I think Artie has a skill set that fits a lot of schemes,” Desai said. “He’s a good cover corner, and he has quick feet. His part has been learning what we are doing here. That’s been the step for him, to learn what we are doing here and the different types of things that we want to play with him in the roles that we have him in here.”

That’s four guys fighting for two spots, with a fifth to join the derby whenever Brown comes off the PUP list.

The first preseason game is Saturday at Pittsburgh. The first real game in a month away, Sept. 12 against the Denver Broncos with Russell Wilson testing the new corners and scheme.

“We’re getting a lot of good information,” Carroll said, “and we’ll see how it goes.”