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EspañolCornerback feels like one of those positions you can't afford to "hope" your way through. If anyone knows that, it has to be the Philadelphia Eagles after the roller-coaster ride that they endured last season.
The Birds have invested heavily in youth and athleticism on the back end (Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell), but the margin for error in today's NFL is razor-thin. Teams face competent-to-elite quarterbacks weekly. If you don't have length, speed, and recovery ability on the boundary, your team gets exposed, and quickly.
That's why outside projections tying Philadelphia to a long, proven cover man carry some weight. The Eagles could stand to add another long-term answer opposite Mitchell on the other side of Vic Fangio's defensive formation.
A recent free-agency projection pairs the Eagles with Riq Woolen.
Christian D'Andrea of USA Today's For The Win recently tried his hand at predicting where 32 of the NFL's top free agents will sign in 2026. His forecast sends Riq Woolen from the Seattle Seahawks across the country to sign in Philadelphia.
That pairs the Eagles with a former Pro Bowler and member of the 2022 Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team. D'Andrea lists cornerback, offensive tackle, edge rusher, defensive line, and tight end as Philadelphia's primary needs. That's why the logic behind Woolen's mention makes a ton of sense.
He brings elite length and verified speed, both of which are traits the Eagles have long coveted. Adoree' Jackson may have offered a short-term patch. Woolen represents something more substantial, a long-term boundary solution.
The numbers back the idea up. Woolen did not allow a passer rating above 80.0 over a full season in four years with Seattle. That's consistency. That's reliability, and at his age (he turns 27 on May 2), that's upside still intact.
Of course, projections are just that. They're projections. One can never tell, but it's possible that Woolen won't come cheap. The Eagles must weigh cost against other roster priorities, but stylistically, the fit is clean. He aligns with the organization's preference for long, athletic defensive backs who can press, run, and challenge vertically.
If Philadelphia is serious about fortifying its secondary with proven talent rather than patchwork depth, this is a nice place to start. This is the type of swing that makes sense. One nest to another. This could solve one major problem in the Eagles' roster construction dilemma.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL Free Agency: Eagles again predicted to land Riq Woolen