Seahawks make decision on CB Riq Woolen status ahead of Sunday's Jaguars game

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The Seattle Seahawks will be without cornerback Riq Woolen in Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the team officially downgraded him from "doubtful" to "out" on Saturday afternoon.
Woolen's absence will add to Seattle's secondary woes, as cornerback Devon Witherspoon (knee) and safety Julian Love both (hamstring) also unlikely to play with injuries. Woolen suffered a concussion in last week's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and hasn't been cleared through the NFL's protocol system.
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To take up the slack for three of its top secondary defenders, the Seahawks have elevated cornerback Shaquill Griffin and safety Jerrick Reed II from the practice squad. A former Pro Bowler, this will be Griffin's second game this season.
The @Seahawks downgraded CB Riq Woolen to Out; elevated two from the practice squad this afternoon. https://t.co/8HdfD97NPX
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) October 11, 2025
Cornerbacks Josh Jobe, Derion Kendrick and Nehemiah Pritchett might also be pressed into more duty Sunday against quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the upstart 4-1 Jaguars.
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"Shaq could be part of the plan based off of what's going on, yeah," Seahawks' head coach Mike Macdonald said Friday. "I love having Shaq out there because he competes. He attacks all the mental stuff, he knows it, he's got a great attitude, and he competes. We can go into games with that for sure."
Reed has played in one game this defense, on special teams.

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Richie Whitt has been a sports media fixture in Dallas-Fort Worth since graduating from UT-Arlington in 1986. His career is highlighted by successful stints in print (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), TV (NBC5) and radio (105.3 The Fan). During his almost 40-year tenure, he's blabbed and blogged on events ranging from Super Bowls to NBA Finals to World Series to Stanley Cups to Olympics to Wimbledons to World Cups. Whitt has been covering the NFL since 1989, and in 1993 authored The 'Boys Are Back, a book chronicling the Dallas Cowboys' run to Super Bowl XXVII.
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