Subscribe
Follow Us
In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles really didn't have a ton of weaknesses.
Sure, their pass rush was somewhat inconsistent at times, they didn't get any production from their WR3 spot, and had to cycle cornerbacks due to a series of injuries to Darius Slay, but there wasn't one obvious place to attack the Eagles on either side of the ball, whereas both Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio had multiple ways to take care of business on their respective sides of the ball.
Fortunately for Philadelphia, while they had to deal with some injuries and a few rough patches, in the end, they came out on top, parlaying a roster that didn't make a move at the trade deadline to their second Super Bowl ring in the past ten years.
In 2025, the Eagles once again find themselves with one of the best rosters in the NFL, but one with a few new faces replacing previous stalwarts.
After years of establishing a dominant defensive line regardless of the coordinator, the Eagles said goodbye to Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Brandon Graham from their 2024 rotation, with the trio leaving for Arizona, New England, and retirement with a shiny new Super Bowl ring in their possession. The Eagles also said goodbye to key members of their secondary, with Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, and CJ Gardner-Johnson all heading to new homes in Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Houston via release, free agency, and a trade.
Offensively, the Eagles kept their roster much more intact, with only one starter, Mekhi Becton, leaving in free agency as the team casually retools around but the team didn't really add much in the way of talent to that lineup by way of free agency or the draft, with just a few low-level free agents and a few new offensive linemen added to the roster during the spring.
Should the Eagles remain incredibly competitive this fall? Yes, but there are a few areas of concern that could prove to be Achilles' heels this fall if they end up on the wrong side of the proverbial bell curve, including one position that could have as many as three players earning significant snaps on rookie-scale contracts.
The Eagles need Kelee Ringo to play like a starter in 2025
By saying goodbye to Slay and Rodgers in free agency, the Eagles have effectively opened the door for Kelee Ringo to become their third starter at cornerback, logging snaps opposite Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in defensive subpackages.
Originally drafted in the fourth round back in 2023, with Roseman trading up to bring the Georgia cornerback to the City of Brotherly Love, Ringo has been biding his time as he waits for his NFL opportunity, logging spot-up duty in 2023 and 2024 outside of a handful of starts. Standing 6-foot-2, 207 pounds with long arms and a 4.3 speed, Ringo looks like exactly what NFL teams are looking for in 2025, but he came into the NFL as a raw prospect and has barely been tested at the NFL level, especially in Fangio's defensive scheme.
If Ringo is unable to hang against the best receivers in the NFL, it will give opposing quarterbacks a clear target on every snap, with savvy offensive coordinators shading their best players toward the 22-year-old's side. And unfortunately, the Eagles just don't have the kind of talent needed to comfortably spell the third-year defensive back should he struggle.
On paper, the easiest way to spell Ringo would be moving DeJean to outside cornerback full time, a position he has been cross-training for, should he end up playing the position in Fangio's base defense. Could DeJean be a good outside cornerback? Sure, he has all the athletic gifts to be solid, but in the slot, he is downright elite, with his instincts, change-of-direction abilities, and agility making him an absolute weapon against the pass, the run, and as a blitzer.
Behind DeJean, both in the slot and on the outside, is a collection of interesting players, but no one of even Rodgers' caliber. Adoree' Jackson is coming over from the New York Giants as an undersized inside-out option, but he's nearly a decade into his career and has a game largely based on his once elite athletic gifts. Eli Ricks is a stalwart of the position, having been in Philadelphia for years now, but he has never found consistent playing time and likely won't any time soon.
Factor in Mac McWilliams, the Eagles' undersized by feisty Day 3 draft pick out of UCF, and the depth behind Ringo is filled with some interesting options, but no guarantee one way or the other.
When the trio of Mitchell, Slay, and DeJean were on the field for the Eagles in 2024, opposing quarterbacks had no easy outs on any given play, with all three cornerbacks holding things down while affording Fangio's pass rushers extra time to take care of business. When Slay left the field and was replaced by Rodgers, however, he instantly became the target, with the former Indianapolis Colts corner being attacked over and over again to mixed results.
If Ringo can play like Mitchell a year ago, and Mitchell can take over for Slay without a hitch, the Eagles will be in good shape when they take the field this fall. But if he looks more like Rodgers, Roseman may have to hit the waiver wire, look at veteran free agency, or shake up the depth chart in the hopes of maintaining the sort of elite defensive backfield that made his team so successful last fall.
