With the Eagles sliding and the trade deadline closing in, Riq Woolen keeps looming as one of the biggest names to watch.
The cornerback has become a clear trade possibility as Philadelphia’s five-game losing streak has pushed the team into seller territory. If the Eagles do start moving pieces, Woolen looks like one of the most obvious candidates on the roster. There’s even a path that could send him across the state to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
ESPN added more fuel to that idea on Wednesday. Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen ranked the NFL’s top 25 trade candidates, and Woolen checked in at No. 8 - the highest of any Eagle on the list. Fowler wrote, “When I talk to rival teams about which players Philly might move,” Fowler wrote, “Woolen’s name comes up fairly often.”
Woolen, though, brushed off the noise when asked about the rumors Wednesday. He said he’s heard it before and isn’t letting it pull him away from the locker room.
“Y’all can say a million things, but y’all wouldn’t really know until you get a talk with the GM and you get a talk with your coach,” Woolen said. “You can see me going to any team or hear anything about any team.
But to me, that doesn’t matter to me. Just because I’m here working with these guys. ...
My brothers need me. They don’t need my mind to be anywhere else.
That’s my job being here.
“In Philly, I worked my butt off all offseason. So I’m going to ride with these guys throughout this season whether we’re undefeated or we don’t win a game.
I’ll work my butt off with them, and they work hard as hell, too. I’m going to be where my feet are at and let the chips fall where they may.”
Still, the football logic behind a move is easy to see. Woolen is playing on an expiring contract. He has been mostly solid this season, but Monday’s loss to Dallas was a rough one, and his $1.26 million base salary makes him an easy add for another team.
ESPN named three possible landing spots: the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Steelers. Pittsburgh stands out because the Steelers are thin at cornerback after dealing Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys. Detroit and Carolina also have cornerback injuries, which puts them in the mix as well.
There’s also a familiar connection that could matter if talks heat up. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl know each other well, with Weidl having been in Philadelphia’s front office from 2016-22.
If Roseman does decide to move Woolen, ESPN expects the return to be a fourth-round or fifth-round pick.
For now, ESPN puts the odds of a deal at 35%. And if the Eagles drop Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders, that number could climb.
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