PHILADELPHIA — No Eagles player generated more buzz this spring than new cornerback Riq Woolen. In the first practice open to reporters in May, quarterback Jalen Hurts tested him with a deep ball to DeVonta Smith; Woolen used his 4.26-second 40-yard dash speed to catch up downfield and his 6-foot-4 frame to force an incompletion. He closed minicamp by undercutting a pass intended for tight end Dallas Goedert and racing the other way with an interception.
“Unique skill set. Very long and explosive and fast,” defensive back Cooper DeJean said. “How explosive he is and how he can catch up to routes when guys are getting out of their breaks. It will be fun to watch this year.” Woolen entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick out of UTSA in 2022 and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie after tying for the league lead in interceptions with six.
Woolen started 53 games over four seasons in Seattle, posting 12 interceptions and 53 passes defensed while holding quarterbacks to a 54.2% completion rate when targeting him. He also had untimely penalties and coverage letdowns, a combination that cost him the No. 2 corner spot to Josh Jobe last season. The Seahawks allowed him to enter free agency following their Super Bowl run in 2025; the Eagles signed Woolen to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million.
Woolen rebounded into a contributor on Seattle’s defense but made a costly error in the NFC Championship Game. A taunting penalty after a third-down pass breakup gave the Los Angeles Rams a new set of downs, and Woolen was beaten by Puka Nacua on the next play for a 34-yard touchdown. Woolen acknowledged he plays with passion and that “sometimes I can get out of control a little bit,” a point coach Vic Fangio said he expects Woolen to correct.
Fangio said he was “thrilled to get him” after evaluating Woolen more thoroughly in free agency. Fangio noted that last season quarterbacks completed 63% of throws when targeting Adoree Jackson compared with 54% for Woolen. With Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean considered two of the game’s top lockdown corners, Woolen figures to be targeted enough to showcase his playmaking ability. “I feel like we can be one of the best secondary groups in the league,” Woolen said.
