5 takeaways from Riq Woolen's introductory press conference with Eagles

New Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen was introduced to Philadelphia in a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

By Dave Zangaro • Published March 13, 2026

The first thing that stands out about Riq Woolen?

He’s tall. Really tall.

The Eagles’ newest cornerback is every bit of 6-foot-4 and that was obvious as he walked toward the stage on Thursday in the auditorium at the team’s Jefferson Health Training Complex.

We could see his size on Thursday, but we’ll have to wait until OTAs to see the athleticism and that sub-4.3 speed that made him a Pro Bowler as a rookie fifth-round pick with the Seahawks in 2022.

Earlier this week, the 26-year-old Woolen agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal to join the Eagles in free agency and solidify the CB2 spot they tried to figure out all of last season.

On Thursday, Woolen was asked about his new teammates, his passion for the game and plenty more:

1. An elite trio of corners

Last season, Woolen’s Seahawks played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5, just a week after the Eagles went down to Tampa and pulled out a win. So Woolen got a long look at All-Pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean on tape.

He came away incredibly impressed.

"I watched that game and I seen the way [Mitchell] and Cooper were tackling, they were covering, they were strapping guys up. It was pretty cool to see,” Woolen said. "Now that I’m able to be a part of that, it’s awesome because it’s like, ‘Dang, where can you throw the ball to?’ 

"It’s fun to be able to be paired with those guys. I feel like there’s going to be a lot of chances for us to make plays and a lot of chances to help out the defense as well.”

Where can you throw the ball to? It’s a fair question. And if this works out, the Eagles will have one of the best trios of cornerbacks in the NFL.

Both Mitchell and DeJean were named All-Pros in their second professional seasons last year and Woolen clearly has the potential to be great. He was a Pro Bowler in his rookie season back in 2022 and has flashed that greatness over the past three seasons too.

Woolen said he met Mitchell a bit before the draft in 2024 because they were training at the same facility in Florida but he’s looking forward to getting to know Mitchell and DeJean better now that they’re teammates.

Having those two on the roster was one of the reasons this opportunity was so intriguing.

"Shoot, just the players on [the team],” Woolen said. "You got Q, you got Coop. With me being able to join those guys, I know that we can be able to play different types of looks. I felt like it was kind of the same way in Seattle. We had [Devon Witherspoon], we had Nick (Emmanwori) and we were able to play different ways. To be able to be along with those guys and to play with a great front with (Jalen) Carter and JD (Jordan Davis) and some great linebacker play, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

2. Harnessing the passion

Woolen plays with a lot of passion; that’s a good thing.

"God didn’t make me to be a quiet person,” Woolen said. "God made me to go show off my abilities and to play with passion and enthusiasm. And to fit in a culture where a lot of players do play with passion and enthusiasm is going to be a lot of fun.”

But sometimes he goes a little overboard; that’s a bad thing.

Last season, Woolen was flagged three times for taunting, including one that could have been extremely costly in the playoffs. In the second half against the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, Woolen was in coverage against Puka Nacua on a key 3rd-and-12 and helped force an incompletion. But then Woolen couldn’t control his emotions, was flagged for taunting and gave up a 34-yard touchdown pass to Nacua on the next play that pulled the Rams within four points.

Woolen plays with a lot of passion but admitted on Thursday that sometimes he loses control. At least he knows that can’t happen.

"Once you make a play, just turn to your sideline and go there,” Woolen said. "You can never go wrong if you celebrate with your teammates. You can never go wrong if you just get to your sideline if you make a play. Because those are the guys you want to celebrate with anyway. Whenever you’re going against a team and make a big play, it’s a lot of emotions going on, especially a rival game, but you just gotta be better in those situations and you just gotta go celebrate with your team because, ultimately, that’s who you’re winning the game with.”

3. A one-year opportunity

While the highs for Woolen have been incredible, there’s a reason he was available on a one-year deal. And there’s a reason the Seahawks were willing to let him leave in free agency.

So this one-year deal is an opportunity for the 26-year-old to prove to the rest of the league that he’s worthy of a long-term deal next offseason.

"Yeah but honestly, it’s just crazy because at the end of the day, you still have to play football,” Woolen said. "No matter if it’s one year or four years. You’re still going to have to put your shoulder pads on, you’re going to have to play for your team, you’re going to have to make plays for your team. I just see it as a year to grow, to come and join this team, to go win a championship, to win games and to become a brother. If these guys need me, I’ll be there for them. And if I need them, they should be there for me. I’m just coming in here to be a great teammate, a great addition and help us win games and hopefully go to a championship.”

4. Making the switch to defense

While Woolen proved to be an absolute physical freak at the combine, he still didn’t get drafted until the fifth round of the 2022 draft. Some of that was probably because he played college ball at Texas-San Antonio. But he was also considered a raw prospect at corner because he started his college career at receiver.

He never really wanted to play defense.

"I was a receiver my whole life,” Woolen said. "I played offense my whole life.”

Eventually, the coaches at UTSA convinced Woolen to move to corner in practice but he fought it. Woolen remembers lining up with 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-11 cornerbacks and feeling out of place. But he stuck with it.

Woolen’s first game at cornerback came in the last game of the 2019 season. And when UTSA brought in a brand new coaching staff in 2020, they asked Woolen where he wanted to play and he picked corner. He’s been there ever since.

5. A viral clip with Carson Wentz

Since Woolen’s signing with the Eagles became known this week, a mic’d up clip of Woolen and former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has been making the rounds.

That got people wondering if Woolen had some sort of connection to the Eagles. On Thursday, he said he didn’t. He was simply a fan of Wentz, who was playing at an MVP level in 2017 before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

"That man just was balling,” Woolen said. "I was a youngin’ whenever he was here killing it. That was one of the quarterbacks I was watching. I just liked how he embraced his role and whenever it was his chance, he was just killing it. Whenever I got to see him in person, I was just struck a little bit. Because I was like, ‘Dang, that was a guy I was just seeing on TV when I was younger.’ I just got a love for great players and I love when people go out and win games and do the right thing and he was a good player who did that.”

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/riq-woolen-introductory-press-conference-eagles-seahawks-quinyon-mitchell-cooper-dejean/720625/