The Philadelphia Eagles‘ cornerback room talk is still very much dominated by last year’s rookie tandem and co-sensations, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who excelled in the second half of the season en route to victory in Super Bowl LIX.
But an under-spoken about part of the room concerns outside corner, Kelee Ringo, who is currently in the driver’s seat to start on the perimeter opposite Mitchell come the start of the season in the role vacated by the now-departed Darius Slay.
Whilst that role could end up being filled by former first round pick and New York Giant, Adoree’ Jackson, or 2023 UDFA, Eli Ricks, Ringo seems to be the favorite to be the starter come September.
And Ben Solak of ESPN has some very complementary words for the former Georgia standout, calling him one of the 10 “names to know” in 2025.
“The reigning Super Bowl champions used the draft to address immediate needs in their defense,” Solak writes, “which was left bare by free agent departures. But they didn’t draft a cornerback until Round 5, leaving room for Ringo, a 2023 fourth-round pick, to win the starting job opposite rookie star Quinyon Mitchell. Ringo has played fewer than 400 defensive snaps in his two seasons as a pro, but he’s just turning 23 this summer — the same age as some rookies. He has elite athletic traits to boot. If Ringo is ready for his moment, the Eagles’ defense looks adequately and rapidly retooled for another postseason push.”
Kelee Ringo Could Be A Critical Player For The Eagles In 2025
Anyone aiming the fill the shoes of Darius “Big Play” Slay will undoubtedly have enormous shoes to fill. Nonetheless, it is evident that the Eagles are confident that Ringo is up for the challenge despite playing the seventh (yes, seventh) most snaps at corner in 2024, behind even the likes of former 2022 UDFA Tristin McCollum – who played more than twice the times the amount on defense than Ringo did.
Yet after two seasons of taking a back seat, general manager, Howie Roseman, and head coach, Nick Sirianni, have evidently judged the Tacoma, Washington native of being ready to take advantage of this opportunity.
Although his time was limited last season, his play was generally considered good, and he was awarded an above-average starter grade of 65.8 from Pro Football Focus.
Ringo Overcame Draft Disappointment To Come To The Cusp Of A Starting Opportunity
Despite his fourth round grade, it is not surprising to many that Ringo has finally gotten his opportunity to start in the NFL. Having been projected by many to be a borderline first round pick/lock day two pick in the lead up to the 2023 NFL Draft, on-tape weaknesses and limitations caused many teams to question whether he could survive in the NFL long term due to his stiff hips – according to Walter Football.
This would – teams believed, according to the report – reduce his effectiveness in playing off-man coverage, or in zone. But it would seem that the Eagles do not have such a worry – or at least no longer do.
It is not set in stone that Ringo will be own the starting perimeter corner job by the end of training camp, but at this point, it’s his to lose – and some people seem very confident that he will do impressive things with it.
