Eagles cornerbacks Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks were about 14 or 15 years old when they first heard about the other.
Ever since then, they’ve been linked.
As Ringo made a name for himself as a high school football player in Arizona, Ricks did the same in California. And most national scouting services had them ranked among the top cornerbacks in the nation before Ringo went to Georgia and Ricks went to LSU. They’ve been competing long before they became teammates.
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“We definitely knew about each other back then,” Ringo said this week. “Going back and forth throughout high school, No. 1 corner, No. 2 corner. We just always competed. When you’re young, you have a lot of respect for folks that are doing the same exact thing as you at such a high level. There’s been nothing but love and respect for Eli.”
Ringo and Ricks actually met a few years after they first learned of each other and during their college careers joked about the comparisons.
They still talk about it to this day. Their locker stalls are just a few feet apart.
“Now that we’re here, we tell people that and they don’t believe us,” Ricks said. “They look up 247 and are like, ‘damn!’ We’ve been battling with each other for a while so to be on the same team now is almost weird.”
NFL
During the 2024 season, they are in similar positions again.
Buried on the Eagles’ depth chart.
After Ringo and Ricks played significant roles and showed promise in the Eagles’ dysfunctional defense in 2023, the franchise drafted Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the top two rounds and got Isaiah Rodgers back from a year-long suspension. Because of that, Ringo has played just 59 defensive snaps all season and Ricks has played just 3.
Last year, Ringo (a fourth-round pick) played 199 and Ricks (an undrafted free agent) played 301.
“It’s been different,” said Ricks, who has been inactive 10 times this year. “My first year really experiencing something like this. But I feel like this year I got to work on being an ultimate teammate. Doing whatever the group needs, even at practice if someone needs a break or something, I feel like that’s what I became this year. And seeing what it’s like on a winning team. I know what it’s like to win the NFC East now. It was a good thing that I was here.”
The contributions that the two young cornerbacks have put into the season hasn’t gone unnoticed by their veteran teammates.
“They do a lot of work with A.J. (Brown), Smitty (DeVonta Smith) and them, so they get a lot of great work,” veteran corner Darius Slay said. “They’re preparing themselves for their future. That big for them. They’ve been doing great, man. I’m looking forward to watching them prosper whenever, definitely when my time is done.”
Ricks admitted that this year has been difficult on him at times personally but he has tried to keep a positive outlook. Ricks has never really experienced a season like this. He played immediately at LSU in 2020 and was a Freshman All-American. Even when Ricks went to Alabama in 2022, he was at least a part-time starter.
When asked what has gotten him through the difficult parts of this season, Ricks mentioned his age. He’s still just 23 as he enters the stretch run of his second NFL season.
“That’s honestly what gets me through it,” Ricks said. “It would be a different predicament if I was a little older. I know I got a lot more years left playing.”
The same can be said for Ringo, who is still just 22. The good thing for Ringo this season is that even though he’s been buried on the defensive depth chart, he has carved out an important role on special teams and was even named a Pro Bowl fifth-alternate as a special teamer in 2024.
What has gotten Ringo through this season?
“Just continuing to work on myself,” he said. “I just feel like the biggest thing that’s kept me going is just staying ready for my opportunity. If my opportunity does come and I haven’t been doing what I need to, then I would be doing myself a disservice.”
The Eagles in 2024 have the No. 1 overall defense and the No. 1 passing defense in the NFL. Their cornerback trio of Slay, Mitchell and DeJean has proven to be one of the best in the NFL and Rodgers has also performed well as the top backup.
But it’s worth noting that Slay turned 34 on New Year’s Day and Rodgers is unsigned past this season. There could be some opportunity around the corner for either Ringo or Ricks.
The defense obviously became a mess late in 2023 but there were some good moments during the season and in practices for both of the young corners.
“I feel like what everybody seen is evident,” Ringo said. “We’re making the most of everything that comes do us so when the opportunity does come, I feel like both of us are going to seize the moment for sure.”
Because the Eagles are going to rest most of their key starters in their Week 18 game against the Giants, both Ringo and Ricks are expected to get extended playing time.
It’s an opportunity for them to show what they can do and prove that they still have futures in the NFL.
“I definitely feel like that’s the case with both of us,” Ricks said. “I feel like that’s why we’re both here and I feel like we both definitely have bright futures ahead of us. We just gotta keep working. Just gotta stay focused and stay hungry.”
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