PHILADELPHIA -- No Eagles player generated more buzz this spring than new cornerback Riq Woolen.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts tested him on the first practice open to reporters in May, launching a deep ball down the left sideline for his primary option, DeVonta Smith. Woolen used his 4.26-second 40-yard dash speed to catch up to Smith downfield and his 6-foot-4 frame to force an incompletion on a slightly underthrown ball by Hurts.
He closed minicamp with a splash, undercutting a pass intended for tight end Dallas Goedert before racing the other way with the interception. It put an exclamation point on a promising start for the former Seattle Seahawk.
"Unique skill set. Very long and explosive and fast. Just watching him get in and out of breaks is crazy to see," said defensive back Cooper DeJean. "How explosive he is and how he can catch up to routes when guys are getting out of their breaks. It will be fun to watch this year."
Woolen is no stranger to strong first impressions. A fifth-round pick out of Texas-San Antonio in 2022, he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie after tying for the league lead in interceptions (six). He went on to start 53 games over four seasons in Seattle, posting 12 interceptions and 53 passes defensed while holding quarterbacks to a 54.2% completion percentage when targeting him.
Untimely penalties and coverage letdowns were part of the story, too, and factored into him losing the No. 2 corner spot to Josh Jobe last season. The Seahawks let Woolen enter free agency following their Super Bowl run in 2025, leading to the Eagles signing him to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million.