NFL writer explains why Riq Woolen could offer Eagles major upgrade

The Philadelphia Eagles entered the offseason with one of the NFL's most promising young secondaries. Quinyon Mitchell looked every bit the part of a future star during his rookie campaign, while Cooper DeJean quickly established himself as a versatile playmaker capable of impacting games from multiple alignments.

>Still, even successful defenses have room for improvement. That's one reason Philadelphia made the move to acquire Riq Woolen. The former Pro Bowler brings size, speed, and proven production to a secondary that already featured plenty of talent.

The numbers tell an interesting Eagles storyRecently, NFL analyst Dan Pizzuta hung out with Mina Kimes and explained why he believes Woolen could have a substantial impact on the Eagles' defense, using advanced analytics to support his argument.

>Pizzuta's analysis centered on DVOA, which stands for Defense-adjusted Value Over Average. The metric evaluates efficiency on every play while accounting for game situation and quality of competition. Rather than focusing solely on raw statistics, DVOA measures how successful a player or team is relative to league averages.

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“Last year the Eagles were 2nd in DVOA vs #1 WRs…and 24th vs #2 WRs.”

On the pod, @danpizzuta explained why Tariq Woolen is his X Factor pick for Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/A9w10zBBxG

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 10, 2026For many fans, however, there's a simpler way to understand the point Pizzuta was making. When opposing quarterbacks targeted Quinyon Mitchell last season, they generally experienced far less success than when they threw toward the Eagles' other outside cornerback. At various points during the season, that responsibility fell to Adoree' Jackson.

>While Jackson's play improved as the year progressed, the overall difference remained noticeable. Simply put, offenses were far more comfortable testing the side of the field opposite Mitchell. Woolen could change the equation.

>The Eagles aren't asking him to be the centerpiece of the secondary. Mitchell has already established himself as one of the defense's foundational pieces, and Cooper DeJean appears set to continue thriving in the slot. What Philadelphia needs is a reliable outside corner capable of making quarterbacks think twice before attacking either boundary.

>If Woolen can provide that, the ripple effects could be significant. Instead of offenses identifying a preferred matchup, they could find themselves facing quality coverage no matter where they look.

>Whether Woolen and Mitchell eventually develop into an Eagles cornerback tandem worthy of comparison to Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent or Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown remains to be seen. Those are lofty expectations. Still, the vision is clear. Philadelphia believes Woolen can help eliminate a weakness offenses targeted at times last season, and the analytics suggest that belief may be well-founded.

>This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL writer explains why Riq Woolen could offer Eagles major upgrade