The idea the Philadelphia Eagles will have a fire sale before the 2026 NFL trade deadline seems to be growing by the day. Even in the weak NFC East, the Eagles don’t appear to be a team that’s going to contend this season.
But even if the Eagles don’t have a fire sale and elect to try and win the NFC East, cornerback Riq Woolen could be on the move.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Ben Solak predicted the Eagles to deal Woolen to the Chicago Bears before the 2026 NFL trade deadline.
“Woolen is one of the more interesting trade candidates in Philadelphia. The Eagles clearly intended to make Woolen a one-year player and recoup a compensatory draft pick for him next year after a strong season in Vic Fangio’s defense. That plan hasn’t gone entirely swimmingly — Woolen’s play has been up-and-down, and his penalty woes have continued,” wrote Solak. “How confident are the Eagles in the comp pick they’ll get for Woolen next year?
“If a team comes calling with a strong enough offer, the Eagles can dodge the comp pick calculations and get value for Woolen now. That team might be the Bears, who should be desperate for cornerback help after what they saw the Packers do to Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson Sr. in Week 5.
Woolen has started 59 games in his NFL career, including six this season for Philadelphia. In 2026, he has 24 combined tackles, four pass defenses and one forced fumble.
Why the Eagles Will Likely Trade CB Riq Woolen
Solak joined the conversation about the Eagles having a fire sale Tuesday by predicting three players they will trade at the deadline. Most notably, the list included All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley.
Woolen appears to be a slam dunk trade candidate for Philadelphia because he’s on an expiring contract in a season the Eagles might not contend after Thanksgiving.
Solak presented an interesting alternative to a Woolen trade. Philadelphia could keep the veteran cornerback and then recoup a compensatory pick with his departure. There’s risk to that, though, because the league’s comp pick formula isn’t guaranteed to provide a better draft pick than a trade would.
If the Eagles want to eliminate that risk, then they could trade Woolen to the highest bidder. There should be a hot market for the cornerback because of all the contending teams which need to upgrade cornerback. Woolen offers upside as a rental and playoff experience.
Solak sees the Bears making a competitive offer after Chicago’s defense struggled against its biggest rival a week and a half ago. The ESPN analyst projected Chicago to send a 2027 fourth-rounder to Philadelphia for Woolen.
“A fourth-round pick might be rich for Woolen, though the Bears could use the same comp pick logic as the Eagles and assume they can get some mid-Day 3 pick back for Woolen if they manipulate the formula correctly,” wrote Solak.
Even without the comp pick logic, a fourth-rounder might make sense for Solak because of the potential demand on the cornerback market.
Eagles Predicted to Trade 59-Game Starter to NFC Contender