Howie Roseman may have found another bargain at corner, and Riq Woolen wasted no time making the case in the Eagles’ 24-22 Week 1 win over the Washington Commanders.
Philadelphia spent the offseason trying to solve a problem that lingered all last year. CB2 was a mess, with Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson both struggling to give the defense steady play opposite All-Pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Woolen arrived on a one-year, $12 million prove-it deal, flashed early at OTAs, then mixed strong moments with the inconsistency that followed him with the Seattle Seahawks in training camp.
Sunday looked like the version of Woolen the Eagles were betting on.
Philadelphia’s secondary as a whole held up well, limiting Washington to 163 yards and a 52.9% completion percentage. But Woolen was the standout.
Per Sumer Sports, he was targeted four times across 39 coverage snaps and didn’t allow a catch or a yard. He finished with just one tackle, the kind of stat line corners usually post when the ball never finds them.
The advanced numbers backed up the eye test. Pro Football Focus graded Woolen at 67.9 overall, which ranked 26th out of 91 qualified corners. His 66.9 coverage grade placed him 27th, and his 66.5 run-defense grade checked in 31st.
That kind of production for $12 million at CB2 is exactly the sort of move that makes Roseman look like he’s working different from everybody else. He took a swing on a long corner he has wanted for a while, and Vic Fangio was clearly pleased with how it played out.
Asked about Woolen after the game, Fangio said, “I thought he played well. I thought he had good focus, did a good job covering, very pleased.”
Woolen’s debut mattered even more because the Eagles needed somebody to absorb the slack when Cooper DeJean had one of the roughest games of his pro career. Mitchell and Woolen helped carry the load while DeJean dealt with a rare off night.
For now, it’s only one game. But Woolen gave Philadelphia exactly the kind of first impression it was hoping for, and if he keeps stacking performances like this, a Pro Bowl season is already in play.
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