Seahawks 2023 Offseason Primer: Cornerback 

With Woolen emerging as one of the league’s top young cornerbacks, it’s clear he’s going to be a big part of Seattle’s defense going forward, and Jackson and Bryant also made it clear that they’re going to be tough to unseat for playing time. When Tre Brown, a 2021 fourth round pick who showed a lot of promise as a rookie before a season-ending knee injury, returned from that injury, he was added to the competition at left cornerback, but Jackson was able to hold onto that job.

Can Brown, with a healthy offseason and a full training camp, unseat Jackson? And does Bryant stay at nickel or could there be any thought to moving him back outside if another nickel option emerged? The Seahawks will likely add to that position group in some manner this offseason, be it free agency or the draft, but as promising as the trio of Woolen, Jackson and Bryant was in 2022, it will be tough for any players to unseat that group heading into the 2023 season.

The Seahawks will look to add talent at cornerback this offseason, because that’s what they do at every position every year, but they also go into the offseason knowing they’re in good shape there even if they don’t make any big investments at that position. Woolen and Bryant both have three years left on their rookie deals while Brown has two more years left on his, while Jackson is an exclusive rights free agent, meaning he too will very likely be back. Heading into an offseason knowing you’re going to have your top four cornerbacks returning is a great place to start, especially when one of those players is overflowing with potential after a Pro-Bowl rookie campaign. Because as good as Woolen was in 2022, there’s still plenty of room for him to grow, particularly considering he only spent two seasons at cornerback in college after converting from receiver.

“He’s just as raw as you can get,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said after Seattle’s Wild Card loss in Santa Clara. “… He’ll see so much more than what he was seeing right now. It’s a freaking blur like it’s a storm blowing at him. We’re trying to sort it all out. It will be much better for him. He can be a complete player. He can do it all. He’ll be able to be a run factor when he needs to be. He needs to learn all the different nuances that happen with all the different alignments and…