In what has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles, they made a massive move in the secondary that puts them in a much better position than they were last year.
The Eagles' first big signing of free agency was former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen, brought in on a one-year contract that was later revealed to be worth $12 million. Philly was able to get the deal to take a cap hit under $4 million, making it a smashing success for the Eagles.
This move allowed them to get a solid CB2 to work with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean without worrying about any competition in training camp. There are some concerns about Woolen as he tends to be a trash talker who plays with high energy, resulting in personal foul penalties being called on him. That might concern some fans, but not the Eagles.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is all for Riq Woolen's energy
While speaking with the media at the NFL league meetings, Sirianni discussed the addition of Woolen and addressed concerns about his personality. The Eagles' head coach doesn't seem to mind it at all.
"We're edgy as the football team. We like to show our excitement," Sirianni said via The Athletic's Zach Berman." Football is fun to be around. It's it's supposed to be fun. Sometimes you can lose that, sometimes in high-stress situations that we're all for, that we're all but it's fun. It's fun to be in there, it's fun to be on teams.
"And I want those guys to show their emotion. I want them to show their excitement. I want them to show their personality within the rules of the game. And that's my job is to be able to explain the job description for everybody: 'Hey, this is what I want you to do, but you got to keep it in there, in the right area. And so that's just something that you try to educate on and through everything: 'Hey, here are general situations that are important for us. Here's what's going to get you personal fouls, and here's what you can and can't do.'
... I'll never have a problem with someone being too edgy. I love that, and because I know that a lot of times you can see that and be like, 'Man, this guy loves football, this guy loves to compete. And I'll always take a guy who loves football and loves to compete any day of the week."
Last year with Seattle, Woolen racked up 41 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, 12 pass deflections, and one interception. He did have a key unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, which concerned Eagles fans, but he played well in the playoffs, so it did not hurt the team.
Despite all that, it's hard to argue what Woolen brings to the table with his 6-foot-4 height and how he can challenge any wide receiver in the NFL. The Eagles wanted that from Kelee Ringo, but never got it, so they found a better version of a tall corner in coverage with Woolen.
Read more: Howie Roseman got honest about Eagles' decision to trade for Andy Dalton
There might be some risk in having Woolen join the team, but it is worth it if the Eagles don't have to deal with Adoree' Jackson and Ringo again at CB2.