The Lions don’t usually chase splashy in-season additions, but a hypothetical Riq Woolen deal is the kind of move that should at least get real attention in Detroit.
ESPN analyst Ben Solak recently predicted the Eagles would send Woolen to the Chicago Bears for only a 2027 fourth-round pick. If that’s the kind of price attached to the cornerback, the Lions ought to be in the conversation immediately.
Woolen brings exactly the kind of traits Detroit could use. He’s 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, which would make him the only cornerback on the roster taller than six feet. That size alone matters, but so does what comes with it: Woolen can play man coverage, an area where the Lions have had a hard time.
His track record is a strong selling point, too. A fifth-round pick at No. 153 in 2022 out of UTSA, Woolen spent four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before signing a one-year deal with Philadelphia in the offseason. He played at least 15 games in each of those seasons, intercepted six passes as a rookie, and has added six more picks since then.
Adding him to a defense that already has Brian Branch returning at safety would give Detroit another real weapon on the back end. According to NFL NextGen Stats, Woolen has never allowed a passer rating higher than 82.2 in a full season. Among Lions defensive backs who have started at least two games this year, only Chuck Clark can match that kind of number, with a 60.6 passer rating allowed.
The fit is obvious on paper because of the matchups Detroit would face. The Lions don’t have much in the way of length to throw at bigger receivers, and that matters in a division that includes Green Bay’s Christian Watson at 6-foot-4 and Chicago’s Rome Odunze at 6-foot-3. Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson is listed at 6-foot-1, though his athleticism makes him play bigger than that.
Solak framed Woolen this way: "Woolen is at his best when his assignments are simple and he can use his elite blend of length, speed and transitional quickness to stick with WR1s in man-to-man. His propensity for penalties could be a playoff Achilles' heel, but if he runs pure in the postseason, he has the ceiling of a star player at a premium position. Something the Bears desperately need in the playoffs."
If Detroit believes that ceiling is real and the asking price is anywhere near what Solak projected, then this is the sort of move the Lions should push hard to make. Letting a cheap chance at a talented cornerback go by would feel like another opportunity missed by the front office.
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