Seattle Seahawks: Battle for 2022 DROY – Tariq Woolen vs. Sauce Gardner
The NY Jets and Seattle Seahawks square off with serious playoff implications. A key subplot is the battle for 2022 DROY between Tariq Woolen and Sauce Gardner.
The NY Jets and Seattle Seahawks square off with serious playoff implications. A key subplot is the battle for 2022 DROY between Tariq Woolen and Sauce Gardner.
It’s finally here, the Game 16 young cornerback showdown featuring the Seattle Seahawks Tariq Woolen and NYJ’s Sauce Gardner. One has the reputation, and the other has the numbers slightly in his favor.
Both teams come into this matchup with records of 7-8 and hanging onto playoff hopes. The winner could come down to which squad defends the pass better.
Comparing the two young cornerbacks
So far in his debut season, Gardner has an overall PFF grade of 88.0, with 53 solo tackles, 2 interceptions on 61 targets, and 27 catches allowed. Those are nice numbers, to be sure, especially as a rookie corner in the NFL.
Sauce was the fourth overall pick this year. The former Cincinnati Bearcats star came in with a reputation as a shutdown cornerback. He has lived up to the billing by all measures. His team has improved, and he is a big part of it.
Woolen was far less heralded, and the Seattle Seahawks picked him in the fifth round (153rd overall). He came to Seattle as a bit of a project player. The coaches loved the measurables, but surely it would take him some time to adjust to the NFL game.
He became an instant starter at right cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks. Lining up daily across from D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in training camp, put Woolen straight into the fire. If he could do a decent job against them in practice, he could make some plays against the rest of the league.
His 2021 PFF grade is 71.3, with 46 total tackles, 6 interceptions on 55 targets, and 31 catches allowed.
Some may notice that the numbers between these two aren’t far from each other. I also noticed this, and I must wonder why the discrepancy in grades.
In tackles, Sauce is up 53 to 46, less than one per game. For overall targets, Woolen wins 55 to 61. Still not too big of a gap, but a win for Seattle’s CB. Catches allowed Sauce again wins by a small margin, 27 to 31.
But when it comes to interceptions, Woolen has a decided advantage of six to two, with a pick-six thrown in for good measure. Also not considered is Tariq’s Week 2 blocked field goal that the Seattle Seahawks returned for a touchdown.
Tariq Woolen deserves the defensive rookie of the year award
Considering the slim margin of victory in most main categories and the decidedly more important turnovers caused, I would give the slight edge to Woolen. Throw in what he has overcome and how fast he learned to be an NFL corner; he’s earned the 2022 DROY.
It’s hard to understand why Sauce has a 17-point higher grade. Most people that back Gardner in this argument say, “But Sauce does not have as many picks because opponents don’t target him. They know better than to test him already.”
But in looking at the numbers, Woolen has fewer targets while getting three times as many interceptions. Reputation means a lot in this league and is a big reason for who gets the awards. Sometimes the best man does not win, even when the numbers say he did a better job.
This week gives fans an up-close view of two of the NFL’s best young corners. I’m not trying to bash Sauce here, as I think he is an amazing player. I even mocked the Seattle Seahawks picking both players in the draft.
Imagine the what if’s had that would have happened. How crazy would the Seattle Seahawks DB room be if they had them both?