Visualize what the Eagles think can happen if it all works the way they think it can: There is All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, shutting down one side of the field, no matter the wide receiver running routes. Inside, there is All-Pro nickel cornerback Cooper DeJean locking into a route, closing all windows for a quarterback to test.
And then on the other side of the field on the outside opposite Mitchell, there is Riq Woolen, new to this Philadelphia Eagles defense, using his high-level mix of length (he's 6-4, with long arms) and speed (Woolen ran a 4.26 in the 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine) to lock in on the wide receiver on his side of the field.
Woolen, who agreed to terms with the Eagles on a one-year contract as the 2026 NFL Free Agency period officially began at 4 PM on Wednesday, is a player Philadelphia has a lot of familiarity with – Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line/Associate Head Coach Clint Hurtt was Seattle's defensive coordinator in 2022-23 when Woolen was drafted (fifth-round draft pick in 2022) and became a Pro Bowl player and Cornerbacks Coach Roy Anderson was a secondary coach in Seattle in 2023 – and they believe Woolen will fit right in after helping the Seahawks win Super Bowl LX in February.
A supremely talented player who played first as a wide receiver at the University of Texas-San Antonio before switching to cornerback midway through his sophomore season, Woolen was voted to the NFC Pro Bowl Games roster during his 2022 rookie campaign, in which he tied for the league lead with six interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He had 53 passes defensed in his four seasons with Seattle, tied for second-most in the NFL, and he recorded 12 interceptions, 10th-best in the league.
According to Next Gen Stats, Woolen has allowed a 72.5 passer rating in coverage since 2022 (fourth lowest in the NFL and third lowest among cornerbacks, with a minimum of 150 targets).
Woolen started 53 games, played in 64, and in the 2025 Super Bowl season with Seattle, opposing quarterbacks completed just 49.2 percent of their passes thrown in Woolen's direction, sixth lowest in the NFL among cornerbacks with 50-plus targets. Also, he ranked first among all cornerbacks in yards/snap allowed (0.6) and was fourth in the NFL in yards per target allowed (5.0).
There is a lot of work to do, of course, but Woolen will be in a room with the best of the best and with a coaching staff working with him that understands the many positive traits he brings to the table. Woolen has versatility, having played both outside cornerback positions, as well as some nickel snaps.
A defense that has some change to deal with – nothing different for coordinator Vic Fangio, who has seen the defense change consistently from one year to the next – now has another uber-talented cornerback to blend into the scheme. Woolen, for his part, is betting on himself in a sense with the one-year contract. It is, truly, a win/win in this free agency scenario as a player who understands what it takes to win it all and who has experienced the ups and downs of the NFL joins a cornerback room that is the best in the entire league.
Iron sharpens iron, right? The competition in the cornerback room will go up another notch in 2026 as the roster-building portion of the offseason kicks off with a major addition to the Eagles' defense.
