Eagles newcomers ‘26: Can cornerback Riq Woolen parlay a big season into a rich, long-term contract?
Also, UFL standout Erik Ezukanma tries to make an impression at a crowded wide receiver position.
With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.
Player: Riq Woolen
Position: Cornerback
Age: 27
Previous experience: Vic Fangio said in May that he was surprised Woolen didn’t “get a lot of action” for a long-term contract during free agency, which speaks to how highly the straight-shooting Eagles defensive coordinator thinks of his new outside corner.
Woolen, who is on a one-year contract worth $12 million guaranteed, is an interesting player. He is abnormally big for a corner at 6-foot-4. He probably was the best man defender in the NFL last season. But he wasn’t as effective in zone coverage, and he gained a reputation as a taunter. He ceded playing time to Josh Jobe during Seattle’s Super Bowl run.
Woolen, a fifth-round pick out of Texas-San Antonio, played 78% of Seattle’s defensive snaps last season, down from 90% in 2024 and 98% during his rookie 2022 season. He has been fairly reliable through four NFL seasons. He joins the Eagles having accumulated 12 interceptions so far in his NFL career while allowing a completion percentage of 54.2%, according to Pro Football Reference.
Path to a roster spot: Woolen’s spot on the Eagles is secure. He was one of the biggest standouts during the offseason program. They will be deploying him as the outside corner on the opposite side of Quinyon Mitchell and seem to want him on the field at all times. When the Eagles are in their base defense, Cooper DeJean will slide from nickel to safety instead of bumping Woolen off the field to play outside corner.
The Eagles have high expectations for Woolen. Fangio deployed man defense at a higher rate than Seattle — 24.5% vs. 15.2%, according to Sharp Analytics — and may want to dial that number up a bit to play more to Woolen’s strengths.
Fun fact: Woolen was a top 150 wide receiver coming out of Arlington Heights High School in Texas. He had one big conference scholarship offer, from Matt Rhule at Baylor. The offer came after he committed to UTSA, but Woolen stuck with his original choice. It wasn’t until the final month of his redshirt-sophomore season that the coaching staff there convinced him to switch to corner.
Quotable: “When you’ve got confidence in yourself and you put in a great body of work, you feel like you deserve some type of fruit for your labor,” Woolen said when asked if he was surprised about his free agency market. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, but there’s always a better plan. God’s plan was to put me here with a great team and give me another chance to win a Super Bowl and be successful here.”
Player: Erik Ezukanma
Position: Wide receiver
Age: 26
Previous experience: Ezukanma, a fourth-round pick by the Miami Dolphins out of Texas Tech in 2022, has played his best football over the last year... in the United Football League. He had just one catch for three yards on four career NFL targets from 2022 to 2024 as he failed to get into the mix in Miami when he was healthy. He also dealt with a lingering neck injury.
With the DC Defenders, Ezukanma had 15 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown in 10 regular season games and then four catches for 37 yards in two postseason contests. He was an effective returner, taking 18 kick returns for 459 yards (25.5 per) during the regular season and six for 165 yards (27.5 per) during the playoffs.
At Texas Tech, Ezukanma had 136 catches for 2,117 yards and 14 touchdowns during his three seasons as a starter.
Path to a roster spot: The Eagles don’t have a lot of room at wide receiver. There are four locks: DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, and Hollywood Brown. Then there’s a real competition to fill out the bottom of the depth chart. Ahead of Ezukanma at the start of camp will be Elijah Moore, Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, and maybe a few others. The Eagles could keep as few as five and as many as six receivers on the initial 53-man roster. Perhaps Ezukanma flashes as a returner and gives the Eagles something to think about. He was impactful in coverage on special teams in the UFL, too.
Fun fact: Ezukanma’s best highlight in the UFL this past season might have come on special teams as a tackler. Check out the hit here:
Quotable: “I feel like my body has been holding up and I’m still young,” Ezukanma said during a podcast appearance earlier this year. “I’m 26 and still have a lot of ball left in me.”
Whether a 2026 draft choice, a veteran addition, or a rookie free-agent hopeful, we’re telling you more about each player’s potential role this season. We’re rolling out two players per day in a mostly unscientific order that balances offense and defense, bigger names with mysteries, and locks with longer shots to be chosen for the 53-man roster.
- QB Andy Dalton, DB Kapena Gushiken
- LB Arnold Ekibetie, OL Jaedan Roberts
- WR Elijah Moore, RB Dameon Pierce
- T Markel Bell, EDGE Joshua Weru
- G Michael Jordan, LS Rocco Underwood
- TE Eli Stowers, S Maximus Pulley
- LB Jonathan Greenard, T John Ojukwu
- TE Stone Smartt, LB Deontae Lawson
- TE Johnny Mundt, DE Ta'Quon Graham
- S Cole Wisniewski, RB Elijah Mitchell
- WR Makai Lemon, CB Shaun Wade
- CB Jonathan Jones, WR Samori Touré
- DE A.J. Epenesa, G Micah Morris
- QB Cole Payton, S Tucker Large
- S J.T. Gray, TE Dae'Quan Wright
- WR Hollywood Brown, DT Zion Wilson
