2026 Philadelphia Eagles in Three Players
The offseason is upon us. Let's take a look at all 32 teams.
The 26th edition of our offseason series is here!
Instead of reviewing all 32 drafts and adding casual commentary, I will be doing this instead.
We will go through every single team, in alphabetical order, and quickly discuss three players:
a favorite free agent signing
a favorite draft pick
and a player already entrenched on the roster
Not necessarily the best, or the top, or the one's who will play the biggest role, just one of choice.
Onto the Philadelphia Eagles.
Free Agent Signing
CB Riq Woolen
Woolen was a 5th rounder of the Seahawks in 2022, and has started 53 games in his career. He got off to a hot start, netting a Pro Bowl appearance as a rookie, a year where he netted 6 INTs.
The Eagles gave Woolen a 1 year, $12m contract this offseason.
Here is a cut-up of the good from Woolen's 2025 season.
The Eagles have two All-Pro cornerbacks already. Quinyon Mitchell, a 2024 1st rounder, is elite on the outside. And Cooper DeJean, a 2024 2nd rounder, is elite in the slot.
Woolen slots perfectly into a perimeter role.
But DeJean has to be on the field for close to 100% of snaps, he's too good to only see the 65% that a slot corner sees. So how does this happen?
Personally, I hope DeJean takes a safety role in base downs, with Woolen and Mitchell on the perimeter. I think DeJean is better in a versatile role that allows him to have an imapct in the box and on the run game, rather than on the perimeter, where he was not as good in coverage last season.
So Mitchell and Woolen also hold full-time roles. But regardless, Woolen will see the snaps on the outside. So what does he bring, and why did he only get a 1 year contract?
Woolen has been a bit polarizing since he came into the NFL.
A 6'4, 210lb former WR with 34 inch arms, he has a ridiculous frame.
Yet, for a former WR with 12 career INTs, Woolen's ball skills and awareness when his back is turned are awful. Even if Woolen has tight coverage when trailing, the receiver is catching it every time. With Woolen's frame, this should not happen as often as it does.
Did I mention, along with Woolen's elite frame, he also has a 40 yard dash time in the 4.25 range? And a 42 inch vertical! And yet, with this size and speed, slower guys run by him! His hips when transitioning are not the best.
Woolen sometimes tries to be physical, but it's not productive. It rarely throws a receiver off track, and he is heavily penalized, racking up the 5th most among DBs in 2025.
He's also a poor tackler. He can deliver a hard blow, but you can tell he doesn't like tackling, just hitting when it's easy. The form is bad too.
That's a lot of bad. Which, along with his on-field attitude and ego, is why he did not see a long-term contract.
But, he does have elite size, length, and speed. This length particularly makes up for a lot of his flaws. Even if Woolen is on his heels against a route, he can still break up a pass with his long arms.
The thing Woolen does best, by far, is force receivers to the sideline. He uses his size to wall them off towards the sideline, really no matter the route, which forces a small throwing window for the quarterback. This often makes throws go out of bounds, or easy to contest for Woolen.
Acceleration in tight spaces isn't a strength of Woolen's but his overall speed is. While Woolen often falters when he is forced to turn and run, he is strong playing things in front of him. His recognition in zone is quite good. This, and his length, makes up for his lack of tight area quickness. He can still close quickly if a receiver does get separation, or get down to the flat to try and make a tackle. He can still close gaps and contest with his IQ and length.
In theory, Woolen should benefit from getting to play deep thirds in Vic Fangio's defense, taking on "WR2s" across from Quinyon Mitchell. Especially with an elite defensive line.
I still have concerns about his turn and run ability, but Woolen's contract is a nice bet for Philly as they try to add on to a Super Bowl caliber defense.
Draftee
WR Makai Lemon
Lemon was the 20th pick of this years' draft, out of the University of Southern California.
He was an All-American in 2025, putting up 1156 yards and 11 TDs en route to winning the Biletnikoff Award.
Here is a cut-up of Lemon's 2025 season at USC, courtesy of on Twitter/X.
The Eagles entire offensive operation is changing, and it starts with Makai Lemon.
Well, it mostly starts with new OC Sean Mannion. But player wise, it starts with Lemon, as he is replacing A.J. Brown's spot on the depth chart.
Philadelphia made an effort to replace Brown this offseason, acquiring Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, Lemon, and fellow draftee TE Eli Stowers.
But nobody can truly replace Brown, he's too elite at a specific skill. A.J. Brown has been the best man coverage beater in football this decade, and has the route running, speed, physicality, and ball skills to make it work in perfect fashion with how Eagles QB Jalen Hurts wants to play football. Which is down the sideline throws. That one of one skill set is gone.
Sean Mannion is bringing a Shanahan style offense into the Eagles building. More under center, more motion, and targeting the middle of the field. And Philadelphia can not abandon this playstyle midseason if it's not working, choosing to go back to what worked two years ago. Because the reason the old playstyle worked as because of A.J. Brown.
And Makai Lemon is a prototype of who fits Mannion's offense.
Lemon is a smaller guy, at 5'11, under 200lbs.
But he was incredibly productive at USC, and is a tough football player.
Lemon is a knowledgable route runner who can accelerate perfectly on crisp cuts over the middle.
And his hands thrive in all situations. Over the middle through contact, adjusting mid-air, ball tracking over the shoulder, Lemon has magnets in his gloves. Catching through contested situations really is the highlight of Lemon's game.
He is a tough, physical player who can survive in any environment, making him such a desirable NFL receiver. Not only does he not have question marks when it comes to being a true football player, but his elite skillset as a receiver shows up in these moments.
Lemon's lack of size and speed may limit his ceiling on the perimeter, but he can still survive outside. And in the slot, well, he was made in a lab to play there. He may not end up being elite after the catch, but will that matter if he catches the ball in every situation he's thrown at?
Makai Lemon will be a Day 1 starter for the Eagles next to Devonta Smith, and should make the transition to throwing over the middle fairly simple for Philadelphia.
In-House Player
S Andrew Mukuba
Mukuba is a Year 2 safety who was a 2nd rounder out of Texas last year. His rookie season was ended prematurely with an ankle and fibula fracture, but prior to that, he was starting every game at safety next to Reed Blankenship.
He will start again at safety, this time without Blankenship by his side.
Here is a cut-up of some of the good from Mukuba's rookie season.
Philadelphia's defense looks to be one of the best units in the NFL, but let's nitpick some holes in it, shall we?
After their dominant top three of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo on the interior, I have zero faith in any of Philly's DTs to perform.
While I like Jihaad Campbell at LB next to Pro Bowler Zack Baun, I do not believe it's a shoo-in for him to be a good NFL player. He is skating by on his 1st round status rather than how he actually played as a rookie. And replacing Nakobe Dean is no easy task.
And the safety spot left open by Reed Blankenship is being filled by veteran Marcus Epps. A solid veteran, but there is a reason he has bounced around.
So the middle of the defense may not be dominant enough ot be a Top 5 defense in 2026.
Mukuba is being heavily relied on to step up and solidify the middle of this Eagles defense.
It is hard to judge a rookie who did not even make it to the end of his first season. The version of Mukuba we saw in 2025 is, hopefully, not even close to the finished product.
Mukuba moves very well, he has range on the backend of the defense. Hopefully he sees more of this role with Blanekenship out of the building. He has good vision tackling coming from the backend, and works his way downfield very well.
Mukuba is a decent tackler overall, but dives too much. A lot of his tackling "technique" is just diving at ankles. This results in the occasional bad miss, especially in open space.
Overall in coverage, strides need to be made. There's enough good to convince someone that he will be a good safety, but there is plenty of bad to make it sound like he's a lost cause. In the end, I think most of his issues stem from watching the QB too much in zone coverage. He will get caught watching, float out of his zone, and cost the defense. And in man coverage, it's not easy for a rookie safety.
I enjoyed Mukuba during the pre-draft process, and now he already has the chance to own the defensive backfield in Philadelphia. He has a long way to go, but I am hoping a bit of a role tweak allows Mukuba to showcase his range and playmaking ability for the Eagles.
The Eagles need the definition of a safety to support their elite defense. No big plays being allowed will raise the ceiling of this unit to Super Bowl levels.
Thanks for reading through our 26th edition of previewing all 32 teams in 3 players! We are working our way to be completed by the time the preseason begins!
Apologies for the lack of creativity in this article. Typically I try to review more unheralded players, but Philadelphia did not have many rookies that could play a role this season, nor many notable free agent additions.
But let me know who else on the Eagles is worth monitoring this season, good or bad!
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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