While this free agency frenzy has been relatively quiet for the Philadelphia Eagles, general manager Howie Roseman has hit a massive home run with his first external signing with former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.
The Eagles signed Woolen to a one-year, $15 million contract. He's coming off a season where Woolen had 41 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, 12 pass deflections, and one interception in 16 games, but wasn't the main starter there. There are no questions coming to Philly that his will be CB2 to Quinyon Mitchell on the outside and Cooper DeJean in the slot.
For the first time since being signed with the Eagles, Woolen spoke with the Philadelphia sports media at his introductory press conference. Much was asked about the emotion he shows on the field and the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties he has been called for in the past, but he wouldn't apologize for it.
"God didn't make me to be a quiet person," Woolen said via The Philadelphia Inquirer's Olivia Reiner. "God made me to go show off my abilities and play with passion and enthusiasm, and to fit in a culture where a lot of players do play with passion and enthusiasm is gonna be a lot of fun."
Riq Woolen is a perfect fit for Eagles' defense
To Woolen's credit, he did discuss how he has been working on the taunting penalties and better controlling his emotions on the field. It is an aspect of his game that has gotten better, but fans will remember his taunting penalty in the NFC title game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Woolen is a perfect fit for the defense, as he will be able to improve areas he discussed in the presser, such as tackling and covering in Zone. It also helps that he knows what a championship team looks like from his time with the Seahawks last year, when they won the Super Bowl.
The best part about Woolen is that the Eagles finally get the tall corner they were hoping to have in Kelee Ringo. Woolen is much more polished as a coverage corner versus Ringo, so there really shouldn't be any competition in training camp like there was with Adoree' Jackson last year.
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Roseman got this signing right with a young cornerback looking to prove himself and kept him on a one-year deal. Woolen will be a perfect complement to Mitchell and DeJean.