Arguably, the biggest free agency signing for the Philadelphia Eagles was cornerback Riq Woolen, who apparently has been on their radar for a long time.
The Eagles did not re-sign one of their starting cornerbacks, Adoree' Jackson, and the other starter, Kelee Ringo, is no longer considered for the CB2 job. Instead, the Eagles are giving Woolen $12 million for one year as the team's new CB2.
When speaking with the media for the first time since the 2026 offseason began, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised Woolen as a player and said he believes Woolen will be able to control himself better regarding the taunting penalties he had issues with while with the Seattle Seahawks. Fangio also added an interesting tidbit: he was actually watching Woolen last year as the Eagles considered trading for him at the deadline, before pivoting to trades for Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter II.
Vic Fangio sounds excited to be coaching Riq Woolen in 2026
There's plenty to be excited about with Woolen as he stands at 6-foot-4, the same height as Ringo, but the Eagles are getting a better coverage corner in Woolen than Ringo. Last season, Woolen allowed a completion percentage of just 54.2% of passes that were targeted in his direction and a passer rating of 75.5.
While Woolen struggled in the regular season and started only seven games, his postseason playing time with the Super Bowl champion Seahawks increased, and he played the best football of his career. His completion percentage dropped to 47.1%, and he had four pass deflections in three games.
Fangio is probably more relieved than anything that he's got a solid CB2 joining his All-Pro cornerbacks, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, in the secondary. After the Eagles signed Woolen, many considered their secondary one of the best in the NFL, adding size and consistency to the cornerback position.
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Things are looking up for the Eagles' defense, which lost three starters in the offseason. Woolen seems to have Fangio's full confidence for 2026.
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