‘Rare’ new Eagles player emerges as the talk of OTAs: ‘He’s really special’
· Yahoo Sports
PHILADELPHIA — New Eagles cornerback Tariq Woolen is hard to miss at practice.
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Woolen, who is 6-4, 210 pounds and has elite speed, has made a ton of plays during the Eagles’ organized team activities (OTAs). He has made a strong impression on his coaches and teammates. Everybody on the team seems excited about him.
“Well, he’s a rare guy in that you don’t see many corners in the league that are 6-4...,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said last month. “It’s hard to find guys at those heights that can move and mirror receivers that are hard to cover. He can do that for a guy his height. ... He obviously has good downfield speed and his length is more of an asset than a detriment in his case.”
Woolen, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in free agency, is entering his fifth year in the NFL with a mission: to play with better focus and reach his full potential.
During his four seasons with the Seahawks, Woolen had a reputation for being an extremely talented but frustrating player. He made poor decisions on the field, including drawing unnecessary penalties, and that cost him money this offseason. Philadelphia guaranteed only $12 million of his one-year deal.
Woolen can change that narrative this year if plays at a high level consistently and cuts out the mistakes. If that happens, the Eagles’ defense will be elite.
“Kind of surprised that he was one of those guys that didn’t get a lot of action for a long-term deal,” Fangio said. “I was thrilled to get him. I think he’s going to play [well] for us.”
Woolen, who turned 27 in May, is just entering his prime.
During his rookie season in 2022, he was one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, tied for the most interceptions (6) in the league. That was his best year, and the Eagles still see that type of potential in him.
“Riq is really special...,” Eagles defensive backs coach Joe Kasper said last Thursday. “I know you guys were at practice yesterday. The play where Saquon (Barkley) breaks through and Riq runs him down. You just see that pure speed is really amazing. ... So we’ll take advantage of it every way that we can schematically.”
Woolen ran a 4.26-second 40 yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. He has looked every bit that fast during the Eagles’ practices.
“Just watching him get in and out of breaks, it’s crazy to see how explosive he is and how he can catch up to routes when guys are getting out of their breaks,” Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean said after Tuesday’s practice.
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DeJean, Woolen and Quinyon Mitchell could emerge as the best trio of NFL cornerbacks in 2026. Mitchell and DeJean both made the All-Pro team last year, and Woolen has unique talent.
“Each and every day, we have conversations about techniques, the receivers,” Mitchell said Tuesday about his relationship with Woolen. “So we both just want to push each other to get better.”
Woolen racked up 41 tackles and one interception last season. He was Seattle’s third-best cornerback. The Seahawks trusted Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe more than Woolen and paid Jobe this offseason.
The Eagles are betting on Woolen’s upside. They want to maximize his potential more than Seattle did.
“He’s got to be coached different, a different technique than you coach Q with, right?” Kasper said. “Like they’re two totally different body types. So you do talk to them differently. And that’s why you’ve got to be able to, when you work in the secondary, be able to have a multitude of different pitches. The pitches that Riq throws are going to be different than the pitches that Q throws. Just like [Phillies pitcher] [Zack] Wheeler is going to throw a different game than [Phillies pitcher) [Christopher] Sanchez.
“It’s very parallel to that, especially at the corner position. So you want to be able to give those guys different tweaks and technical elements to be able to enhance their game. Riq has a nice fastball. The length is real, the speed is real.”
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