Eagles sign Riq Woolen to 1-year deal as first signing of offseason

The Eagles have had much silence so far this free agency, as key players such as Reed Blankenship, Nakobe Dean, and Jaelen Phillips have left, the Eagles have not done anything to attempt to replace them. On Tuesday evening, the Eagles finally broke their silence.

The Eagles have signed former Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen to a one-year, prove-it deal worth up to $15 million.

Woolen came into the NFL in 2022 and has been a starter for the Seahawks in almost every game since. With a large frame of 6’4 and 210 pounds, he has gathered 12 interceptions in 4 years, along with a Pro Bowl appearance in his rookie year.

Athletically, Woolen is unlike any other CB, ranking in the top 5% of cornerbacks with his 4.26 40-time, acceleration ability, and catch-radius. All of this gives the Eagles a burst of athleticism to pair with Quinyon Mitchell on the outside.

To start the 2025 season, Woolen was not at his best, but as the season progressed and the playoffs began, he found a rebirth in ability. During his opening stretch, Woolen would garnish a PFF grade of 40.4, being marked as one of the NFL’s worst CBs while being ranked 3rd among all CBs in penalties committed. However, in his following games, he found a second leg, bringing his grade up to a much more respectable 61.1.

Woolen will be moving from playing alongside one of the NFL’s premier CBs in Devon Witherspoon to two others in Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Woolen’s strengths lie in his athletic abilities, in the fact that he usually can just outperform his opponents. However, when he is out-matched, he tends to crumble. With that being said, he would fit perfectly with the Eagles in this sense, considering Mitchell and DeJean tend to lock down their respective areas, Woolen will have a lot less pressure than he did as a Seahawk.

Another benefit to Woolen’s ability lies in his speed. Over the years, the Eagles’s CB2’s tend to get beaten over the top, whether it was James Bradberry in 2023, Adoree’ Jackson for a lot of last season, or even Darius Slay at times in 2024. The Eagles have needed the speedy corner to control their side, and they have received him.

Vic Fangio tends to use a lot of zone schemes in his defense system. This may be a problem for Woolen, who has shown to struggle when adapting to mid-play scheme shifts. Two of these struggles are his coverage ability and tackling, and if he cannot uphold Fangio’s standards in those two factors, he may not last long in Philadelphia.

Nevertheless, Howie Roseman’s usage of a “prove it” deal may be very effective for the Eagles’ secondary, as it has been for years under him. Some notable players who performed spectacularly under their “prove it” contract are Patrick Robinson (2017), Bradberry (2022), C.J. Gardner-Johnson(2022), and the hope is that Woolen will add to this list.

Recent patterns in the Eagles’ success show that Woolen is primed for a stellar year as an Eagle, and although he has had his concerns as a player, he should stand out under Fangio’s system as the CB2 alongside Mitchell and DeJean.

Isaac Baranski

Isaac is a high-school senior who currently attends the Hun School of Princeton. In his free time, he has many interests, but most of all is his love for Philadelphia sports. He has watched the 76ers since the days of Sam Hinkie and hopes to watch the process be completed. He has also watched the Phillies since the days of Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and the great crew, and hopes to see Red October finally achieve its goal. Along with that, he picked up a love for the Philadelphia Union shortly before the pandemic, and has seen them win multiple Supporters’ Shields in person. Lastly, and most importantly, he is a major football lover and an even bigger Eagles lover. Since developing his love for The Birds in elementary school, he has made it his goal to never miss a game.

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