The Detroit Lions have no trouble getting to the quarterback — they’re tied for the most sacks in the NFL with 21. However, what happens after the ball leaves the quarterback’s hand is another story.
Detroit is allowing 291.8 passing yards per game — most in the league — along with 16 touchdown passes. And through the first four weeks, the Lions have surrendered the most passing yards any team has allowed through four games in NFL history (1,227).
The secondary is underperforming, and the cornerback room hasn’t been the same since the Lions released former first-round pick Terrion Arnold in June.
Arnold, the No. 24 overall pick in 2024, was cut the same day a judge set a $1 million bond on eight felony charges tied to an alleged kidnapping and armed robbery plot in Florida. Each charge carries a potential life sentence, and Arnold has denied any involvement.
Detroit has been linked to several trades in recent weeks including cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Zyon McCollum. And with the Nov. 10 trade deadline fast approaching, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has thrown a bigger name into the mix.
Eagles’ Riq Woolen Named a Trade Fit for Lions
Fowler and Matt Bowen recently ranked the top 25 trade deadline candidates, and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen made the cut. Along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers, the Lions were tabbed as a fit for the former Pro Bowl cornerback.
Fowler gave Woolen a 35% chance of being dealt. Given the Lions’ major need for secondary help, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they tried prying Woolen away from Philly.
“When I talk to rival teams about which players Philly might move, Woolen’s name comes up fairly often,” Fowler wrote. “He’s a high-upside corner and 2027 free agent whose $1.26 million base salary could help facilitate a trade (much of his $12 million in guarantees came via signing or restructured bonuses).”
The Lions have more than $34 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, and Woolen’s low base salary means the Eagles wouldn’t need to eat any money to get a deal done.
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard admitted earlier this month that the back end of the defense hasn’t held up its end of the bargain to help out the pass-rush, and adding a high-profile cornerback like Woolen would go a long way toward remedying that.
Why Woolen Makes Sense for the Lions
A 2022 fifth-round pick, Woolen burst onto the scene in Seattle by tying for the NFL lead with six interceptions as a rookie and earning a Pro Bowl nod. He allowed a 48.7 passer rating when targeted that season, according to Pro Football Reference.
The 6-foot-4 corner has 12 interceptions and 57 pass breakups in five NFL seasons.
His career hasn’t been a straight line, though. Woolen lost his starting job midway through last season before winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks.
Still, he allowed just 0.5 yards per coverage snap in man coverage in 2025 — the best mark among outside corners, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
That would be an upgrade over what Detroit is getting from its CBs now. QBs have a 118.6 passer rating throwing at CB1 D.J. Reed, and the spot opposite him has been a revolving door of mediocrity.
Woolen signed a one-year, $15 million deal with Philadelphia in March and he’s set to hit free agency next offseason.
For an Eagles team that brought him in on a one-year rental, getting a pick back from a contender desperate for a corner (or just desperate to stop giving up 300 yards through the air) may be the best return they see on him.
Lions Trade Pitch Would Land Pro Bowl CB to Fix Glaring Hole on Defense