Seahawks Rookie Sensations Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant Etch Names in Record Books in Win Over Cardinals

Continuing to exceed expectations as day three draft picks, Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant continued their historic tear generating turnovers for the Seattle Seahawks with a forced fumble and interception to key a 10-point win over the Arizona Cardinals.

SEATTLE, Wash. - Coming off a tough 39-32 loss to the Saints last weekend, the Seahawks entered a Week 6 home battle against the Cardinals ranked near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every meaningful defensive category, including allowing almost 31 points per game.

But while coach Pete Carroll's defense hadn't been able to right the ship in the first five weeks, rookie cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant were far from the problem. Over the first month-plus of the 2022 season, Bryant had forced three fumbles, while Woolen intercepted a trio of passes, recovered a fumble, and also blocked a field goal that led to a touchdown in a Week 2 loss to the 49ers, emerging as bright spots for an otherwise disappointing unit.

With the rest of Seattle's defense coming together around Woolen and Bryant in a dominant 19-9 win over Arizona on Sunday, the duo of rookie phenoms continued to create pivotal turnovers in the secondary when Seattle needed them most and made history in the process.

Embroiled in an unexpected defensive slugfest at Lumen Field, the Seahawks held a slim 12-3 advantage inside four minutes left to play in the third quarter and the Cardinals quickly moved into visiting territory when quarterback Kyler Murray hit tight end Zach Ertz for a 32-yard completion down the seam. Three plays later, the mobile quarterback scrambled to his left and took off running on 3rd and 6, sprinting past the marker with plenty of green in front of him.

Emulating former Bears legend Charles "Peanut" Tillman, Bryant came up from behind and punched the ball out of Murray's hands from behind. With the fumble bouncing on the turf, Woolen came diving in and recovered it for a critical turnover in the red zone, erasing at least three points off the scoreboard for the Cardinals.

“At this point, it’s all God. It has always been all God, but at this point, it is meant to be for us to play together," Bryant said of him and Woolen teaming up for turnovers. "I have a great time playing with him, and not just him, but the whole team. It’s fun each week seeing him right there with me. It’s just crazy how the ball keeps ending up in his hands."

According to Pro Football Reference, who has been tracking forced fumbles as an official statistic since 1999, Bryant became the first rookie in 23 seasons to produce at least four forced fumbles in his first six games.

While the Cardinals managed to score a touchdown when Michael Dickson fumbled in the end zone moments later to cut the deficit to 12-9, fellow rookie Ken Walker III quickly pushed the lead back to 10 points with an 11-yard touchdown run and the corner tandem wasn't finished coming through with game-changing plays to finish off the Seahawks' NFC West rivals.

After not being challenged most of the afternoon by Murray, Woolen noticed the quarterback signaling to receiver Hollywood Brown pre-snap on a 4th and 11 play late in the fourth quarter. Understanding the situation and yardage Arizona needed to move the chains, he expected a vertical route and stuck to the speedy receiver's hip pocket down the field.

"I had seen that Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown do a signal, or something like that, and just knowing who Marquise Brown is, and the situation it was, he’s going to have to go deep, so I just made sure I stayed on top the whole route and I just made a play on the ball," Woolen explained.

Sure enough, in a moment of desperation, Murray indeed tried to connect with Brown downfield, only for the 6-foot-4 Woolen to pluck the ball out of the air for his fourth interception in as many games. The turnover sealed the deal with under four minutes left to play as Arizona ran out of time to mount a comeback with Seattle picking up a first down to chew up clock and holding a commanding 10-point advantage.

With a prime seat watching Woolen's latest interception from center field, safety Quandre Diggs can't fathom why teams keep trying to test the tall, long, freakishly athletic corner on vertical routes.

“I don’t understand why you would try a 6’4” corner who runs a 4.2 on a go ball. It’s like, even if you try to throw a perfect ball, he’s going to be right there because he’s so tall, his arms are so long," Diggs said marveling over Woolen's play. "He’s phenomenal. He’s learning the game each and every week, and I don’t even think he understands what he’s doing right now. You just see him, and all he does is give a thumbs up."

Historically, by picking off Murray to put a dagger in the Cardinals, Woolen became the first Seahawk to intercept a pass in four consecutive games since former "Legion of Boom" member Brandon Browner achieved the feat in 2011 and seventh player ever to do it in franchise history. He also became the 14th player in NFL history to register four picks in his first six NFL games.

In addition, as noted by Seahawks PR, Woolen became the first rookie since 1970 to record an interception and fumble recovery in consecutive games.

At this stage, nobody should be surprised by the clutch plays Woolen and Bryant keep manufacturing week in and week out. But if there's anyone who didn't expect them or other rookies such as Walker, Abraham Lucas, Charles Cross, and Boye Mafe to produce and contribute as they have so far, it was none other than the ever-so-optimistic Carroll himself, who continues to be wowed by what they are accomplishing so early in their young careers.

"I could never have foreseen that really, honestly. I'd like to say, oh, yeah, I knew that, but I didn't," Carroll remarked. "This is what we hope for. You hope when you draft a guy you can picture what he's going to do. And you hope he's going to fit in and be a factor for us. But I don't know, how many, like six guys or something are playing and starting and doing stuff. I don't know how many it is. But those guys, they're just coming through."

Expected to endure a difficult rebuilding year, after edging the Cardinals on Sunday, the Seahawks now sit in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West thanks in large part to the play of their rookie class. With Woolen and Bryant standing out as day three gems putting their names in the record books and several others making an impact as starters, both the present and the future suddenly look quite bright in the Pacific Northwest.

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