In the Chicago Bears' fourth-straight win this past weekend, the team also suffered a couple of notable injuries. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson might be the most worrisome of them, as his shoulder injury in the third quarter caused him to miss the remainder of the afternoon.
In the wake of Stevenon's injury, the Bears should be looking at cornerback help before the November 4 trade deadline. Whether or not Stevenson misses time, adding depth in that room should be a focal point and there's a fairly-logical target for Ryan Poles across the NFC.
The Seattle Seahawks are 5-2 and look like a strong contender within the NFC, but one of their top cornerbacks has faced uncertainty for a while now. Riq Woolen is coming off a Week 7 contest where he played 92 percent of defensive snaps with Devon Witherspoon sidelined, but the Seahawks have seen Woolen's name in trade whispers for some time.
Riq Woolen would give the Bears exactly what Dennis Allen needs on his defense for the stretch run
Woolen's play has been up and down since joining Seattle back in 2022 as a fifth-round pick. But, he did earn a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie and led the league with six interceptions. With 11 career picks and 40 pass breakups, Woolen is known to be a ball hawk.
His inconsistent play, though, has been a worry for the Seahawks. When Witherspoon comes back from injury, shortly, Woolen very well could be relegated to the bench while Josh Jobe mans the other starting spot.
In a way, Woolen might remind Bears fans a lot of Stevenson, funny enough.
Just look what Dennis Allen has done with Stevenson this year. After 2024, a large portion of Bears fans were ready to write him off, but Stevenson has answered the call and played some outstanding football this year. To his credit, he's really turned things around, and he's needed to.
Following the Jaylon Johnson injury, Stevenson was given the CB1 label, and he's been a playmaker for this defense. It's been quite impressive.
If the Bears went out and traded for someone like Woolen, they'd be getting a one-year rental as he's in the final year of his contract. But, this might also play to Chicago's advantage. If Woolen is able to pick things up and play more consistently under Allen, he could earn a nice free agent deal next offseason, which could lead to a compensatory pick for the Bears in next year's draft.
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Let's say the Bears could get Woolen for a fifth-round pick. That's a no-brainer. But, the price tag might be closer to a fourth, which could also still work out with the compensatory system favoring Chicago next offseason.