5 thoughts on Eagles' addition of Riq Woolen in free agency

Here are five thoughts about the Eagles' addition of Riq Woolen in free agency on a one-year deal.

By Dave Zangaro • Published March 11, 2026

The Eagles made a splash on Tuesday when they landed former Seattle cornerback Riq Woolen on a one-year deal that’s reportedly worth up to $15 million.

After a very quiet Day 1 of free agency, that was a big addition on Day 2 and will bolster a secondary that already has a couple of All-Pros in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

Woolen, 26, just played out his four-year rookie contract with the Seahawks. Over those four years, he played in 64 games with 53 starts.

Here are five thoughts on the addition:

1. This is a big upgrade

The Eagles spent all of 2025 searching for their CB2 to play opposite Quinyon Mitchell. The Eagles went into training camp hoping that Kelee Ringo would win that job and he lost it to Adoree’ Jackson. Give credit to Jackson for improving throughout last season, but the Eagles really tried to upgrade that spot multiple times. They traded for Jakorian Bennett late in the summer, traded for Jaire Alexander during the season and were clearly interested in bringing back Darius Slay had he cleared waivers after being released by the Steelers. So going into 2026, the Eagles were done playing around.

This is a massive upgrade.

Woolen isn’t a perfect player but he’s a huge upgrade over the guys the Eagles tried to fit into that spot a year ago. During his four years in Seattle, Woolen had 12 interceptions and 53 pass breakups; that’s really solid ball production.

And he’s been a monster in man coverage. According to NFL NextGen Stats, Woolen allowed just 0.5 yards per coverage snap in man last season, which was tops among outside corners in the NFL. And he forced a 31.3% completion percentage in man, which was again tops among outside corners.

The Eagles last season used man coverage on 24.5% of their snaps, according to Sharp Football. That ranked 12th in the NFL, whereas the Seahawks’ man usage (15.2%) ranked 27th.

2. There’s proof of concept 

It’s worth pointing out that Woolen’s best season came as a rookie in 2022. As a fifth-round pick out of UTSA, Woolen started all 17 games, had 6 interceptions, 16 pass breakups and made the Pro Bowl.

His defensive coordinator that season? Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.

Hurtt was the Seahawks’ DC from 2022-23 before the Seahawks made a switch at head coach and Hurtt came to the Eagles as their new defensive line coach. Before Hurtt first joined the Seahawks in 2017, he coached under Vic Fangio in Chicago.

So in this case, the Eagles should have a good sense of the player and the way he’ll fit into what the Eagles are going to ask him to do in this defense.

3. Not without some risk

The upside with this signing is obvious and Woolen will undoubtedly be an upgrade over Jackson in 2026. But there are reasons a talented 26-year-old physical freak of a cornerback was available on a one-year deal.

During the 2025 season, Woolen started just seven games and was not a starter in the playoffs. He rotated with former Eagle Josh Jobe, whom the Seahawks brought back in free agency over Woolen.

Woolen is also known for penalties. In fact, according to The Athletic, he has been penalized 30 times since entering the league in 2022. That is the most among all defensive backs in the league during that span.

And one of Woolen’s worst moments played out on national television in January during the NFC Championship Game. He nearly cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl.

After defending an incomplete pass to Puka Nacua on 3rd-and-12 late in the fourth quarter, Woolen couldn’t control his emotions and taunted Nacua and anyone else he could find on the Rams’ sideline before eventually being flagged. On the very next play, he gave up a 34-yard touchdown pass to Nacua that pulled the Rams within four points. Luckily for Woolen, the Seahawks were able to hold on and advance.

4. He’s a physical freak 

There’s no questioning Woolen’s measurables. He’s basically like if Kelee Ringo turned into a plus starter in the NFL.

Woolen is an absolute freak.

At the 2022 combine, Woolen was 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, with nearly 34-inch arms. He ran a 4.26 in the 40-yard dash and had a 42-inch vertical.

5. One spot left at safety 

The Eagles have just one spot left to figure out in their starting secondary after Reed Blankenship left in free agency:

CB: Quinyon Mitchell

CB: Riq Woolen

NCB: Cooper DeJean

S: Drew Mukuba

S: ???

The Eagles will need to figure out that vacant safety spot but that’s a great start to what could be a very, very special secondary.

One additional thought is about how the Eagles might deploy Cooper DeJean. The Eagles will obviously want DeJean to play every defensive snap again this season. In 2025, that meant playing DeJean as an outside cornerback in their base package (around 20% of their snaps) and then sliding to nickel for most of his snaps. In 2026, that could mean playing him at safety in their base defense before sliding up to nickel in sub packages.

Basically, the Eagles want to get their four best defensive backs on the field in base. DeJean is obviously one of them and it seems like Woolen will be one too.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/5-thoughts-on-eagles-addition-of-riq-woolen-in-free-agency/720286/

I like the pick up. There’s some issues there in terms of the flags but I think he’s coming in and he’s going to be really motivated right? Being let go by Seattle. Getting a one year deal. He’s going to be really motivated to go and land himself a bigger longer contract in FA next year. So I think there’s a lot to like about the move. He’s an upgrade on what we’ve had that’s for sure (and yes Jackson did improve and was a solid starter in the end).

The risks are, as I’ve said the penalties, and I don’t think he’s very good against the run right? And I think that’s a real concern given we’ve lost Dean who was our best run stuffing LB and arguably our best run stuffer full stop. Blankenship was also pretty good against the run so there’s definite concerns there.