This offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles were not as active as usual in free agency, but one of their signings is starting to build a good reputation.
It's only been two weeks of OTAs for the Eagles, but it's becoming clear that one of their free agent signings is playing well enough that he might exceed expectations. Bleeding Green Nation Eagles reporter Brandon Lee Gowton was one of the many reporters at OTAs who shared what he saw from the team's first free agent signing, cornerback Riq Woolen.
"Riq Woolen had a good practice,' Gowton observed. "He knocked the much smaller Hollywood Brown off his route on a Hurts go ball throw to the wide receiver. He also broke up a Hurts pass in the end zone to prevent a touchdown. Some good examples of how his size and length can be a benefit."
Riq Woolen is slowly starting to look like a solid move for the Eagles
Woolen signed just a one-year, $12 million contract with the Eagles in the offseason as he takes over as the new CB2. He doesn't have big shoes to fill at all with Adoree' Jackson and Kelee Ringo failing to impress last season in the same role.
Last season, Woolen won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, where he started out in and out of the lineup, but by the postseason, he was playing at a high level. He finished with 41 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, 12 pass deflections, and one interception. In 16 games, he allowed just a 54.2% completion percentage as well as a passer rating of 75.5, the second lowest of his four-year career.
It appears that Woolen is playing at the level they were hoping Ringo would be in their secondary last season. Standing at 6-foot-4, he has the size the Eagles have been looking to get at cornerback, and Woolen is showing that he can cover with the starters at a consistent level.
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There is plenty of reason to feel optimistic that things will work out with Woolen at CB2, as he looks to be the perfect partner for Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in pass coverage. If fans thought the Eagles' defense has been stout over the last two years, if Woolen keeps playing at this level, they are going to be even better than imagined.
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