PHILADELPHIA -- No Eagles player generated more buzz this spring than new cornerback Riq Woolen.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts tested him on the first practice open to reporters in May, launching a deep ball down the left sideline for his primary option, DeVonta Smith. Woolen used his 4.26-second 40-yard dash speed to catch up to Smith downfield and his 6-foot-4 frame to force an incompletion on a slightly underthrown ball by Hurts.
He closed minicamp with a splash, undercutting a pass intended for tight end Dallas Goedert before racing the other way with the interception. It put an exclamation point on a promising start for the former Seattle Seahawk.
"Unique skill set. Very long and explosive and fast. Just watching him get in and out of breaks is crazy to see," said defensive back Cooper DeJean. "How explosive he is and how he can catch up to routes when guys are getting out of their breaks. It will be fun to watch this year."
Woolen is no stranger to strong first impressions. A fifth-round pick out of Texas-San Antonio in 2022, he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie after tying for the league lead in interceptions (6). He went on to start 53 games over four seasons in Seattle, posting 12 interceptions and 53 passes defensed while holding quarterbacks to a 54.2% completion percentage when targeting him.
Untimely penalties and coverage letdowns were part of the story, too, and factored into him losing the No. 2 corner spot to Josh Jobe last season. The Seahawks let Woolen enter free agency following their Super Bowl run in 2025, leading to the Eagles signing him to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million.
"I'm excited to have him," said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. "We looked at him during the middle of the season last year a little bit because they may have been interested in trading him, and we didn't decide to do it and I didn't get too involved in the evaluation. But then when it came free agency time this year and I actually sat down and watched him thoroughly, I was excited for him and kind of surprised that he was one of those guys that didn't get a lot of action for a long-term deal. I was thrilled to get him. I think he's going to play [well] for us."
Woolen rebounded following some early missteps and was a contributor for Seattle's dominant defense but made an error in the NFC Championship against the Los Angeles Rams that nearly cost his team the game. A taunting penalty following a third-down pass breakup gave the Rams a new set of downs. Woolen was beaten by wide receiver Puka Nacua on the next play for a 34-yard touchdown that brought the Rams within four.
Woolen acknowledged that he plays with passion and that "sometimes I can get out of control a little bit." It's an area the 27-year-old is looking to improve, and Fangio believes he will.
"I think he'll grow out of that. We'll show him plenty of examples," Fangio said. "I think it was in the playoff game when they had the one that was most serious and could have been most damaging. If he doesn't learn from that, I don't know how he would learn from anything else, but I'm confident he'll overcome that."
The upside is considerable. Last season, Fangio had veteran Adoree Jackson working alongside the ultra-talented duo of DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. While Jackson improved over time, quarterbacks completed 63% of their throws when targeting him last season compared to 54% for Woolen.
With Mitchell and DeJean considered two of the best lockdown corners in the game, Woolen is going to get targeted a healthy amount, allowing him to put his playmaking skills on full display.
"I feel like we can be one of the best secondary groups in the league," Woolen said. "We are all confident about that. These guys have showed that with their work. I have showed it with the work that I have put in. Being able to join them, the sky is the limit."