Posted March 10th, 2026 | Comments Off on Eagles Add A CB
Howie Roseman is alive! The Eagles finally made a move on Tuesday afternoon, after being darn near silent for the first day and a half of free agency.
Former Seahawks Pro-Bowl CB Riq Woolen reached agreement today on a one-year deal worth up to $15 million with the Philadelphia Eagles, per me and Jeremy Fowler. Agent Jason Chayut confirmed the deal. pic.twitter.com/kRiWIdDey7
Woolen is a size-speed guy. Howie tends to like CBs like that (see Quinyon Mitchell, Kelee Ringo). Woolen is 6-4, 210. He ran 4.26 at the Combine. And he’s got ball skills. Woolen has 12 career INTs.
The downside is that he’s an inconsistent player. Seattle had the best defense in the league last year and Woolen only started 7 games for them. That was the first time he wasn’t a full-time starter. I understand Howie loving his measurables and potential. I’m curious what Vic Fangio thinks. Is Woolen his kind of player?
Woolen can press or play off. He gets a good break on the ball, taking advantage of his speed and length. He is a solid tackler. There is a lot to like about him. Think about Adoree Jackson for a minute. He was solid for the Eagles. The one area where he struggled was closing to the ball. He was always a step slow. Woolen excles in that area.
We don’t know the contract terms yet. Up to $15M tells us this is an incentive-laden deal. The Eagles are taking a chance on Woolen and he’s gambling on himself. If he has a strong year, he could get a big deal next offseason.
Even on plays new #Eagles DB Riq Woolen doesn’t get a great jam in man coverage or allows a free release, he has the speed to turn and run with most players in the NFL. His length also allows him to play through the catch point. Rep is never truly over for him even in a trail… pic.twitter.com/IrI8nN05x5
The Eagles secondary could be great. Mitchell and Woolen give them a pair of big corners who can both run and play the ball. Cooper DeJean is one of the best nickels in the league. Drew Mukuba showed a lot of promise in his rookie year and should be even better now that he’s got some experience.
The other safety position is a bit of a mystery. The Eagles let Reed Blankenship leave in free agency. The cost wasn’t that high so they could have kept him if they wanted. They must think they can upgrade that spot, with a free agent or early draft pick. We’ll see what their plan is.
This won’t be the only move the Eagles make in free agency. They need to address TE, edge rusher and safety. They could bring back Dallas Goedert and Marcus Epps to help in two of those spots. Edge rusher will be an outside move. We’re all expecting them to go after Bradley Chubb when the Dolphins officially release him. That has to happen before 4pm on Wednesday or Miami is on the hook for more money.
As I wrote yesterday, the Eagles are going to be careful shoppers. Getting Woolen on a 1-year deal is good business. They’ll continue looking for good players at the right price.
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The Patriots signed WR Romeo Doubs today. He is a WR2 so adding him doesn’t rule out a deal for AJ Brown. It does take some pressure off the Pats. They seem to want AJ, but not at Howie’s price. It feels like this could drag out to April or even June. Ugh.
I thought this was a pretty good breakdown of the overall situation.
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The #AZCardinals have agreed to terms with veteran OL Matt Pryor on a one-year deal, source says. Headed to the desert after a one-year return engagement with the #Eagles, who drafted him in 2018. pic.twitter.com/G0Z3nu57gx
Free agency can be a lot of fun when your team makes big moves. It isn’t as much fun when you have a stacked roster and other teams come and take away your players. That’s what the Eagles went through on Monday.
There were projections that Jaelan Phillips would get about $22M per year. Some thought a team might overpay and drive that number up to around $25M. Not even close.
Sources: Jaelan Phillips has agreed to a 4-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers with $80M in guarantees. pic.twitter.com/SpZuxmCUOP
Wow. Good for Jaelan, bad for the Eagles. Carolina was desperate for pass rush help. They tried to sign Milton Williams a year ago but were outbid at the last moment. They decided not to let that happen again. They blew the market wide open with this deal.
The Eagles wanted to keep Phillips, but weren’t going to overpay for him. They have limited cap space and couldn’t hand Phillips a blank check. The one positive here is that the Eagles will get a third round comp pick for Phillips in 2027 as long as they don’t sign anyone in his price range. Howie Roseman will want that pick so the Eagles are going to be selective shoppers.
Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt return as the projected starting edge rushers. The Eagles still need to add to the position. The smart move would be to sign Bradley Chubb. He’s played for Vic Fangio and remains a productive rusher. The Eagles are also linked to Jonathan Greenard, who the Vikings are shopping. Chubb got cut by Miami so he wouldn’t count against the comp pick formula. Greenard would be a trade and also not affect the comp pick.
There are some lesser free agents the Eagles could consider. If Fangio wants a bigger body (like Phillips), they could go after AJ Epenesa from Buffalo. He’s 6-6, 260 and would be a good run defender and adequate pass rusher. There is also a good group of edge rushers in the draft. The Eagles could spent an early pick to add to the mix.
I do think it is important to remember the team likes Smith and Hunt. Smith wasn’t healthy last year and his play reflected that. Hunt had a breakout season, but still has room to improve. The Eagles wanted to keep Phillips to have a really strong group of edge rushers. Losing him hurts, but it doesn’t kill the defense.
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Some people are frustrated by the lack of activity. I get it. You want the Eagles to do something. Howie warned that this would be another quiet offseason. That’s what happens when you draft well. You focus on keeping guys and not chasing after big name free agents.
Be patient. Howie will add some players in the coming days. Don’t expect splashy moves. With the state of the roster and the cap situation, the Eagles have to be selective shoppers. That’s what smart teams do. It isn’t fun in March, but tends to work well in the season.
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The team was able to keep DB Michael Carter.
Michael Carter II is going to be released by the Eagles and then return and sign a 1 year deal with them a more team friendly cap number (1 year/3M) Carter II had other suitors but will end up back in Philly with a talented Eagles defense
Carter offers depth at safety and at nickel. He played a bit more late in the season. Fangio seems to like Carter so keeping him around makes good sense. You always like depth and versatility in your secondary. The new deal opens up some extra cap space for the Birds to spend.
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Jahan Dotson signed with the Falcons. His deal was big enough the Eagles could get a comp pick for him, but they will certainly sign someone who cancels this out. Good luck to Jahan with the other Birds.
His departure means Darius Cooper is WR3 for now. The Eagles like Cooper, but they will add someone in free agency or the draft to upgrade that spot.
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No word yet on other key free agents.
Dallas Goedert Nakobe Dean Reed Blankenship
There was a lot of movement in the TE market today, but nothing about DG. That may mean teams aren’t overly interested. Or he could be a hot commodity tomorrow when teams see what options are left. The Eagles have interest in keeping him if the price is right. While a lot of TEs signed today, the numbers were reasonable.
Everyone still expect Dean to leave in free agency. There were several LBs coming and going around the league. The new deals weren’t too crazy. Even with a reasonable price, I don’t anticipate the Eagles being able to afford to keep Dean.
There was also some movement in the safety market. Nothing on Blankenship, though. He is a solid starter and would upgrade some teams. But he’s not a difference-maker. You aren’t going to throw a lot of money at him. Maybe the Eagles will be able to keep him. All about the dollars.
Let’s hope this procedure helps both Dickerson and Jurgens. When healthy, they are an outstanding duo. Neither guy was healthy last year and it showed in the OL’s struggles.
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The Eagles got some good news in regard to the draft.
The #Eagles were awarded four compensatory picks based on last year’s free agency departures:
They were only expecting to get three comp picks. Apparently Josh Uche didn’t count against the formula and that helped to add the sixth round pick.
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Still no update on the AJ Brown situation. The top two free agents are off the market, with Alec Pierce staying in Indy and Mike Evans signing with the Niners. That means AJ is far and away the best receiver available. If the Patriots want a difference-maker, they are going to have to pay a steep price for him.
Still hard to read this situation. The asking price may scare teams off and we could see AJ stay in Philly. Stay tuned.