Lacking Depth At Cornerback, Eagles Might Be Able To Swing A Deal With Seahawks

TAMPA, Fla – How strange it is that the Eagles let go of cornerback Josh Jobe, whose emergence in Seattle could make expendable cornerback Riq Woolen, who appear ticketed for stardom after a rookie season in which he made the Pro Bowl and finished third in rookie of the year voting.

There are whispers out of Seattle that Woolen could be on the trade block with Jobe’s development and the play of Devon Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick from two years ago.

The Eagles could use help at the position, with Adoree Jackson struggling and now missing Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers with a groin injury. They could also use help on the edge, where the Eagles have a half-sack from edge rushers, three overall as a team, and just placed Nolan Smith on IR.

Edge is a bit deeper in terms of depth. Cornerback is not. Kelee Ringo will make his first appearance on defense this season in Jackson’s place, lining up opposite Quinyon Mitchell. After Ringo, the depth is murky, with veteran Parry Nickerson being added to the 53-man roster earlier in the week after spending the first three games on the practice squad.

Rookie Mac McWilliams, who has yet to take a defensive snap, is the other cornerback on the depth chart.

More On Riq Woolen

With #Seahawks star CB Devon Witherspoon returning on Thursday, teams are monitoring Pro Bowl CB Riq Woolen as a possible trade target by the deadline, sources tell The Insiders.

Woolen’s playing time has diminished, and in a contract year, teams believe he could be available. pic.twitter.com/3vYMcNw4tR
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 28, 2025

Woolen, who is 6-4, 210 pounds, would offer a terrific player in coverage, but not always willing tackler. Still, the Seahawks’ fifth-round pick in 2022, had six interceptions as a rookie and five total in the past two-plus seasons combined,

He is in a contract year, which leads many to believe he could be expandable. The Seahawks also have rookie defensive back Nick Emmanwori, the 35th overall pick in last spring’s draft, expected to return from injury this week.

It’s a crowded secondary in Seattle, so they could look to loosen the logjam by dealing Woolen.

Jobe was an undrafted free agent cornerback from Alabama in 2022 who starred on special teams but didn’t see the field much on defense. The team parted ways with him at the end of the 2024 training camp, on Aug. 27.

He played just 12 defensive snaps as a rookie then got 240 in his second year. His role has taken off with the Seahawks. After signing with them after his release by the Eagles, he played 443 snaps (65 percent) with six starts in his first season in Seattle.

This year, he has already played 255 snaps (92 percent) with three starts in four games. He notched his first career interception in Seattle’s 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week.

More NFL: Tanner McKee Returns As Backup, But Eagles Inactives Include A Pass Rusher