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Eagles’ potential 2026 breakout star after strong OTAs showing

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Eagles’ potential 2026 breakout star after strong OTAs showing

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Matty Breisch, ClutchPoints | Last updated Jun 1, 2026 4:21 PM ET

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When it comes to the 2026 NFL calendar year, few events get more overhyped by Philadelphia Eagles fans than OTAs.

A team’s first chance to take the field in an organized capacity after all of the pomp and circumstance of free agency and the NFL Draft, there’s no 11-on-11 live team reps, most of the tackling is done on dummies, and if new schematic elements are introduced, it’s the most vanilla version of it, with the true deep dive instillations coming later in the summer.

And yet, for the first time, new players are in their uniforms. Rookies get to stand next to vets. And the prized free agents get to cheese for the camera alongside a team’s established stars, presenting a vision of the future that is (almost) all optimism without the harsh reality of what a team’s actual ceiling may be when the live bullets start to fly.

On the offensive side of the ball, there’s arguably more excitement about this year’s iteration than any since Nick Sirianni’s first Super Bowl season.

After years of running the show a certain way, largely attacking outside the hashmarks with a zone blocking run game that struggled to match its 2024 efforts in 2025, Sean Mannion is expected to bring some of that Sean McVay magic that has swept the league to the City of Brotherly Love. Players like Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers are seemingly designed in a lab to attack the middle of the field, and if Jalen Hurts is willing to change up his own style, opening things up a little bit instead of playing conservative between the tackles, the Eagles’ passing game could hit heights not seen since 2022, when QB1 threw for 3,701 yards over 15 games and was in the MVP conversation.

Could a player like Lemon, Stower, or another new Eagles offensive addition become a breakout star? Most assuredly so, and the pressure will be on for Howie Roseman’s first two draft picks to do just that, but of all the new players coming to town this season, there’s one above all others who should be seriously motivated to play at an elite level in order to set himself up for the future: Riq Woolen.

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Riq Woolen brings unique proportions to the CB3 position

Standing 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Woolen was the largest starting cornerback in the NFL last season. His vertical jump, 42 inches, ranked in the 96th percentile in the NFL for players at his position, according to Mockdraftables, and his 4.26 40 time somehow beats that, ranking in the 99th percentile. Factor in his 33.625-inch arms, ranking in the 97th percentile, and his 1.49s 10-yard split, which ranks in the 90th percentile, and Woolen is one of the freakiest athletes to ever play the position.

Woolen’s game is also intriguing because of the path he took to the NFL, beginning his college career as a wide receiver at UTSA before transitioning to cornerback as an upperclassman.

Appearing in 22 games as a wide receiver during his first three years at UTSA – one of which was a redshirt – Woolen caught 24 balls for 263 yards and a touchdown, being mostly used as a freaky field stretcher instead of a true high-volume target. Woolen then went on to play cornerback after it was deemed that his hands weren’t quite wide receiver level, where his unique dimensions made him an interesting option in the 2022 NFL Draft, where he was selected 153rd overall despite only appearing in 20 games with just 60 tackles, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions to his name.

Over his 68 games of action in Seattle, Woolen flashed some really strong play, winning a starting role as a rookie while picking off six passes in 2022, but he also struggled to produce at that level consistently, leading Mike Macdonald to increasingly give Josh Jobe the nod in 2025 as a result.

Can Woolen ever put his elite physical gifts to good use and match them with elite technique, becoming a sort of Calvin “Megatron” Johnson for the cornerback position? Or will he always remain more flash than substance, leading to short-term deals for teams hoping this will be the year? Well, based on Vic Fangio’s comments on his signing, it sure sounds like he’s excited for the challenge.

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Vic Fangio is excited to coach Riq Woolen on the Eagles

Discussing all things Eagles offseason during his first media session of OTAs, Fangio was pretty open about his excitement to coach Woolen, noting that he was surprised to see him still available in free agency on a short-term deal.

“I’m excited to have him. We looked at him during the middle of the season last year a little bit because they may have been interested in trading him, and we didn’t decide to do it, and I didn’t get too involved in the evaluation,” Fangio said. “But then when it came free agency time this year and I actually sat down and watched him thoroughly, I was excited for him and kind of surprised that he was one of those guys that didn’t get a lot of action for a long-term deal. I was thrilled to get him. I think he’s going to play [well] for us.”

Asked what aspect of Woolen’s game excited him most, Fangio noted there aren’t a lot of cornerbacks he has to look up to, with the former Seahawks DB’s size a major asset to his defense.

“Well, he’s a rare guy in that you don’t see many corners in the league that are 6-foot04. You don’t see many that are 6-foot-2 or even 6-foot-1, and there’s a reason for that,” Fangio said. “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 can get in and out of breaks. He obviously has good downfield speed, and his length is more of an asset than a detriment in his case. I’m excited to have him. He’s been here since we started the offseason. Seems to be a great guy. He’s into being here and really looking forward to working with him.”

Now again, these are OTAs, of course Fangio isn’t going to say he doesn’t like Woolen or be too critical of what he’s watched from a new player wearing a practice jersey without pads on. But as fans in Philadelphia have come to know and respect, Fangio is a pretty straight shooter, and hasn’t been nearly as complimentary of other defensive players the Eagles have added in the past. If the grandfather of the NFL’s current in vogue defensive system believes he can get more out of Woolen than Macdonald – another defensive guru – during his run in Seattle, then fans should be eager to see if that evaluation holds true.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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