Kelee Ringo watched a couple of months ago when the Eagles selected back-to-back cornerbacks in the first and second rounds of the 2024 Draft.
Without sweating.
“It’s a great opportunity to compete more,” Ringo said.
Ringo is confident entering his second year in the NFL and that confidence has manifested itself on the field this spring as he landed a significant job with the Eagles’ first-team defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio.
This spring, you’ve heard a lot about draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, as well as Isaiah Rodgers, who was reinstated after serving a one-year suspension.
But it would be a mistake to overlook Ringo.
Because he already has one NFL season under his belt, a season that included four starts and significant playing time down the stretch, and he won’t even turn 22 until later this month.
And the game is just starting to slow down for him as he enters Year 2.
“I feel like the best thing that can help you with that is definitely reps,” Ringo said. “Having a year under my belt has definitely helped me get calmer with my game and also see what offenses are doing against me and strategies and things like that.”
The Eagles began their mandatory minicamp this week. And Ringo (6-2, 207) worked exclusively with the first-team defense at right cornerback opposite Darius Slay on Tuesday and was part of the rotation there on Wednesday.
More importantly, Ringo has been tight in coverage and has made plays in all three practices that were open to reporters this spring.
What’s different about Ringo’s game today?
“A little more patience,” he said. “My processing of the game when the ball goes up. I don’t have to think as much as before. So I feel like that slows down the game a lot more for me, so I can play a lot faster and think less.”
The Eagles’ competition at cornerback this spring and summer is one of the biggest stories about the team. Because not only do the Eagles have a ton of young players at the position, they also have a ton of good young players at the position. Ringo is just one of them.
It seems pretty obvious that the Eagles are at least moving on from the idea of James Bradberry being a starting outside cornerback, leaving that spot open as well as the nickel spot. The only thing we really know is that Slay will be one of the starters on the outside.
The best guys fighting for that other outside corner spot appear to be Ringo, Rodgers and Mitchell, the three who rotated in that spot for RCB on Wednesday.
And while you might expect No. 22 overall pick Mitchell to end up in that starting spot, that’s not a given. And if Mitchell isn’t ready for that role in Week 1, then there’s a good chance Ringo will be the one.
“It’s hard for Kelee to go against sometimes,” star receiver AJ Brown said. “Because I go against him a lot. He’s definitely growing up. You can see a different step with it. I’m not going to push him too hard, but I definitely see a different step with him. He is hungry and is competing at a high level.”
Last season, Ringo entered the NFL as a 20-year-old fourth-round pick and it took him a long time to see any kind of meaningful game action. Ringo played only one defensive snap in the Eagles’ first 12 games of the season.
But his play against Brown on the scout team and an injury to Slay pushed Ringo up the depth chart and he played well down the stretch for a defense that was otherwise in complete free fall.
Ringo played 198 of his 199 defensive snaps as a rookie over the final five weeks of the season. He even forced the Eagles to implement a rotation in their playoff loss to the Buccaneers after earning his chance.
“I feel like I played pretty decent, but I feel like there’s always room for improvement, specifically at the corner position,” Ringo said. “I feel like it’s possibly one of the toughest positions on the field. So the little things that come from my breaks, being able to see what offenses are doing against me, seeing formations and just learning concepts and things like that can definitely help me play at a higher level than I was at.”
During the 2023 pre-draft process, Ringo generated some first-round buzz before ultimately falling on Day 3. That’s when the Eagles traded up a 2024 third-rounder to get closer to the top of the fourth round and select him.
Had Ringo stayed at Georgia one more season, he could have solidified his status as a Day 1 or Day 2 pick. Instead, he spent the 2023 season developing on an NFL roster.
“I definitely have to grow up fast,” Ringo said. “I feel like that’s one of the most important things. It’s life or death. “That’s the best way I can explain it.”
Because Ringo was so young when he entered the NFL, he is actually younger than several of the Eagles’ 2024 draft picks, including Mitchell. And even if Ringo doesn’t end up starting this season, there’s a chance he could be the best backup on the outside and a starter of the future.
The 2025 Eagles could have a cornerback group of Mitchell, Ringo and DeJean, giving the franchise an incredible trio of young players at a position where they haven’t had much homegrown talent in recent years.
The competition this summer is going to be fierce and Ringo is certainly in the fight for a starting spot. He’s off to a good start, too.
“I would definitely say all it does is make us better because everything is on the line,” he said. “Just having the opportunity to compete for everything that everyone wants, I feel like that definitely brings out the best in everyone that’s here.”
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