Next move Eagles must make after signing Riq Woolen in 2026 NFL free agency

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Next move Eagles must make after signing Riq Woolen in 2026 NFL free agency

Matty Breisch, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Mar 17, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Next move Eagles must make after signing Riq Woolen in 2026 NFL free agency appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

For a team that is explicitly looking to avoid spending big, long-term money in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles made waves with the addition of cornerback Riq Woolen , the super-sized athletic wonder who just won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks .

Beginning his career at wide receiver with the UTSA Roadrunners, Woolen transitioned to cornerback due to his lack of NFL-caliber pass-catching abilities and immediately intrigued scouts, leading to the Seahawks selecting him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft after absolutely dominating the pre-draft workpout process.

Initially expected to be more prospect than player by outside observers, Woolen immediately took a starting spot in now-Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt's defense and never looked back, starting all 17 spots while leading the NFL in interceptions at six. Woolen started 29 of the 31 games he appeared in over the next two seasons, but in 2025, he became more of a subpackage player, subbing in for nickel and dime packages as Mike Macdonald's third option behind Devon Witherspoon and ex-Eagles UDFA Josh Jobe .

Expected to play CB3 for the Eagles as well in 2026, with the potential to play every snap if Cooper DeJean ends up playing safety in base defensive packages, Woolen is a risk worth taking at $15 million in 2026, especially since Howie Roseman worked his magic to make the actual cap hit in 2026 roughly a third of that value.

With arguably the team's biggest need locked up in a major way, Roseman added more depth to the roster across the board, agreeing to 2026 contract with three tight ends, Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, and Johnny Mundt plus another depth cornerback in Jonathan Jones and Arnold Ebiketie , an edge rusher who played his college ball at Temple and Penn State before being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons .

One area where the Eagles haven't added any player, however, is safety, despite the fact that they already were light at the position in 2025 and lost their de facto leader, Reed Blankenship , in free agency. If the Eagles still have a move or two to make after re-signing Goedert, adding a safety needs to be at the top of the list.

The Eagles should sign Marcus Epps or Ashtyn Davis to play safety

If the 2026 NFL season started today, the Eagles would likely be starting Andrew Mukuba , fresh off an injury, and college safety Michael Carter II at their two safety spots, with Sydney Brown and Andre' Sam slotting in as depth behind him.

Sure, the Eagles could play DeJean at safety in base package, or even deploy him in Blankenship's role with MC2 as the slot cornerback, but that takes one of the team's top-3 defender and puts him in a position of need instead of where he really thrives in Fangio's defense.

No, even with some really interesting options available in the 2026 NFL Draft like Dillon Thieneman, the Eagles should at least hedge their bets and add a veteran safety to help hold down the fort and avoid having to reach with pick No. 23 or 54 next month.

Of the players left on the open market, the most obvious option has to be Marcus Espps, as he has 72 games of experience in a midnight green uniform over his seven-year NFL career.

A former sixth-round pick out of Wyoming who played with Josh Allen before being selected by the Minnesota Vikings , Epps landed in Philadelphia after being waived by Minnesota in November, playing out the season with the club. From there, Epps played out the remainder of his rookie contract in Philadelphia before signing a two-year contract with the Raiders . Epps then signed a one-year deal with the Patriots following a 2024 season lost in Week 3 with a torn ACL, but was ultimately waived before the start of the season, opening up a chance to sign with the Eagles' practice squad, where he was elevated to the 53 in December and started down the stretch.

At 30, Epps isn't going to break any athletic records as a two-high free safety, but he proved in 2025 that he knows how to play in Fangio's system and likely won't cost too much more than the vet minim to sign, making his addition a borderline no-brainer even if he serves as nothing more than a veteran mentor.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there's Ashtyn Davis, who has never played for the Eagles but was drafted by Joe Douglas in the third round by the New York Jets .

Standing 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Davis is a great athlete who ran a 4.37 at his pro day before being drafted with pick No. 68. While he never started more than 10 games for the Jets over his five seasons with the team, appearing in 84 games with 34 starts overall, he did start 12 of the 15 games he played for the Miami Dolphins in 2025 and showcased that he can still play over 700 snaps while also contributing on special teams.

While Davis isn't a known quantity in the Eagles' system, he's younger than Epps, is a better athlete than Epps, and has the potential to cover more ground than Epps in Fangio's system if he lands with Philadelphia, which, considering the pass rush doesn't look great at the moment, could play a major role in their overall defensive success.

Should the Eagles prioritize experience or upside? At this point, beggars can't be choosers.

One way or the other, the Eagles will enter training camp with a serviceable plan at both safety spots. They have too many picks in the first five rounds, Howie Roseman is too good at working the phones, and in the end, they really only need to fill one spot if Mukuba is healthy enough to play. And yet, because there are no sure things in the NFL Draft, the Eagles owe it to themselves to sign another safety now to avoid having to draft for need in the future, even if this player is nothing more than 2026's version of Adoree' Jackson at a less valuable position. Whether it's Epps, Davis, or another player like Kyle Dugger , the Eagles should sign someone up now and start worrying about their future.

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