The Eagles took their shot on Riq Woolen, and now the real work begins.
Philadelphia signed the cornerback to a one-year, $12 million deal in free agency, betting he can step in as the outside CB2 behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The talent is obvious. The question is whether Woolen can clear the hurdles that have followed him from Seattle.
ESPN’s Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder recently ran through league-wide topics, and Walder pegged Woolen as the Eagles’ X-factor.
"He has been benched before and started only seven games (out of 16 played) last season for Seattle. Woolen presents a wide range of outcomes for the Eagles," Walder wrote.
That range is exactly why this move feels so fascinating. Woolen has already flashed in Eagles practice, but the bigger tests are still ahead, especially with training camp set to begin later this month.
His time with the Seahawks came with plenty of volatility. Woolen drew 30 penalties there, including a career-high nine last season. He also picked up a major taunting penalty in the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, and there were moments when he clashed with the coaching staff.
Still, the production has never been hard to find. In 64 career games and 53 starts, Woolen has 203 total tackles, 53 pass deflections and 12 interceptions. He has also posted at least 10 pass breakups in every season so far, while adding at least one interception each year.
The physical tools jump off the page too. Woolen is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and ran a 4.26 40-yard dash, a rare mix of size, speed and length that clearly appealed to Philadelphia.
Now the spotlight shifts to Vic Fangio. The Eagles’ defensive coordinator is not the type to let mistakes slide, and if Woolen brings the same issues that showed up in Seattle, he could find himself on the bench quickly.
That’s the tension here: Woolen has the upside to lift this defense, but he also has to prove the Seahawks were wrong to let him go for free.
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