Eagles Biggest X-Factor Was Among Best in Football Just Few Seasons Ago

If the Philadelphia Eagles had landed Riq Woolen just about two years ago, many would have thought it was one of the biggest moves in the NFL. Fast forward to this offseason, and the Eagles doing so really hasn't caught that much attention. There have been times throughout Woolen's career, even when he was young, when he's been one of the better players in the NFL. 

However, unfortunately for Philadelphia, he struggled a ton last season with the Seattle Seahawks. For the Seahawks to allow him to walk after winning a Super Bowl should also indicate how he was as a player, even if the Eagles are excited to have him around.

They're also banking on him to be the player that he once was. That's why some believe that Woolen is perhaps the most important piece of this defense heading into next season, a unit that has a chance to be elite, but even better if he's the type of player we all expect.

“At his best, Woolen would make any defensive coach happy. There are other times when… well, maybe not so much. Last season, he allowed 47 catches on 82 targets for 467 yards, six touchdowns, one interception, 10 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 93.9. As great as he was at times, Woolen also had stretches in which he simply let his reads and his fundamentals go.

“Outside cornerback is a difficult position to play, and the weeds are full of guys who couldn’t quite wrap their minds around all of the intricacies, even when their talents got them in the door. Now, it’s Riq Woolen’s challenge to see if a new environment can help him put it all together,” Doug Farrar wrote.

With some of the losses the Eagles have had on the defensive side of the football, a guy like Woolen coming in and playing as well as we all know he can would be a step in the right direction. I don't want to say that he's the perfect replacement for a guy like Reed Blankenship, but the Eagles' secondary can use some help, and Woolen will be tasked with doing so. 

I wouldn't be surprised, however, to see him figure things out with Vic Fangio and really put it all together.