Riq Woolen has heard his critics.

Oh, yeah, he’s definitely heard ‘em.

A Pro Bowl cornerback as an out-of-almost-nowhere rookie in 2022. Benched because of tackling and coverage issues in 2023.

How, The News Tribune asked Woolen Friday at his third Seahawks training camp, does he assess his last season?

“Sh**…Honestly, I had fun,” the 25-year-old Woolen said following the ninth practice of camp Friday. “It was part of the journey. I’ve been through ups and downs. I’ve been to the Pro Bowl. I’ve been on the bench before. It was just all part of the journey to me.

“I felt like as a young player I had to go through that, just because it shows me that there’s some places that I don’t want to be and there’s places where I do want to be. That’s being a Pro Bowler. That’s to help my team get to the Super Bowl and just be a great player.”

Then, he thought of his critics.

Yes, being 25, Seattle’s starting cornerback from week one of his rookie season reads your social media comments.

He especially read them last December, when he got benched for the first time in his career. He entered in the second quarter a home game against Philadelphia the Seahawks had to win to stay in playoff contention (they won).

“Honestly, I just felt like last year was a great year for me,” he said. “To some people, they may have their own opinions But those the same people that’s not playing the game.

“So, it’s OK with me. I feel great and I feel like this year will be even better.”

Then-coach Pete Carroll uncharacteristically called out Woolen and teammate Jamal Adams for not playing as coached in Seattle’s loss at San Francisco last Dec. 10.

That wasn’t all Woolen dealt with in his second NFL season.

He had a knee injury in the spring that affected him through summer. After his coverage skills became renowned in his rookie season, opponents targeted him with running plays and runs after catches in front of him last year. Foes challenged his tackling. They challenged his physicality. They challenged him being a wiry 6 feet 4 1/8 and (maybe) 205 pounds.

So Woolen set out to get stronger, bigger for 2024.

He’s noticeably bigger in his upper body and arms.

“One of the major things that I was trying to do is just get stronger this offseason. And I did get stronger,” he said.

What did Woolen focus on this offseason to get stronger?

“Lift weights,” he said, dryly.

He said it was probably the most he’s lifted in a finite period of time. He gained five pounds; he’s listed in this training camp at 210 pounds.

“Just the old-fashioned way,” he said. “I don’t believe in all the extra stuff. I just go lift, for real.”

Riq Woolen’s training camp

This time last year, Woolen was missing from almost all of the preseason. That was because of knee surgery. He had a freak accident in a light offseason practice in the spring of 2023.

What a difference an offseason without getting operated on makes.

Some of the can’t-miss plays in this Seahawks training camp have been Woolen’s reps against DK Metcalf in one-on-one drills and in scrimmages. Woolen is one of the only cornerbacks not just in this camp but the entire NFL who is tall enough to go up and get passes with Metcalf, who is also 6-4.

But Woolen is 28 pounds lighter. He’s not as strong as the hulking Metcalf. He has to use positioning and the nuanced skills of the position as a professional at his position to compete with Metcalf physically.

Through nine practices, Woolen has done exactly that.

Head coach Mike Macdonald, the creator of the Seahawks’ new defense, has noticed.

“I see iron sharpening iron out there when he is going against the wide outs, especially DK,” Macdonald said. “Just someone that (he’s) on a mission. He’s responding to the coaching and he’s bought in. And I think the players are excited about him.

“I don’t want to over-sell it right now, but I think you can sense our excitement about (him).”

Riq Woolen on both sides?

Woolen was exclusively a right cornerback for his first two NFL seasons, under Carroll.

This month, Macdonald has Woolen practicing at both right and left cornerback.

It’s part of Macdonald’s everyone-play-everywhere defense. His idea is to confuse offenses about where Seattle’s players are from series to series, or even snap to snap.

Most days after #Seahawks practices when fans are attending training camp, CB Riq Woolen and rookie RT Mike Jerrell stay out 30-45 mins, or more, on the empty field signing and taking selfies with fans.

They are creating so many smiles and memories.

⁦@thenewstribune⁩ pic.twitter.com/3kY3qBQllG

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) July 30, 2024

Woolen loves playing left and right cornerback.

“I feel like it makes it better, just because you get to go against the best receiver. Whenever you get to go against the best receiver, they play on the right and on the left side,” he said. “So I feel like that can be a great help to this team and that could be a great thing for me, just because I’m a competitor, and it shows that my teammates can trust in me to do the right thing and a lot of things on the outside.”

Carroll almost never had his cornerbacks travel with the opponent’s best receiver, whatever side he lined up, in his 14 years running the Seahawks. Not even with All-Pro and Super Bowl-champion cornerback Richard Sherman.

If Woolen proves equally effective on the left as the right, that could lead to yet another new wrinkle from Macdonald in Seattle’s all-new defense this year. Could Woolen travel with the opponent’s best receiver this season?

“Maybe,” Woolen said Friday. “It isn’t even regular season yet. We are still installing plays.”

He says that may be an opponent-specific choice by Macdonald.

“I feel like that’s a game-plan thing we will do, maybe.” Woolen said. “That’s something that if the coaches want me to do it, I will do it. Other than that, I’m going to play left and right side.”