As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season, Vic Fangio already has a decision to make.
After beginning the season with Adoree' Jackson as his CB2, the veteran defensive coordinator will be waiting with bated breath to see if the veteran cornerback will be available to play at Raymond James Stadium, facing off against a Todd Bowles team that has had Nick Sirianni's number his entire coaching career in the City of Brotherly Love, or if he will have to go to his bench against Baker Mayfield, Emeka Egbuka, and Chris Godwin, who will be making his 2025 debut.
Fortunately, after Jackson struggled over the summer, both at camp and during the preseason, Howie Roseman traded for Jakorian Bennett to serve as the new CB2 in wait… at least until he got hurt helping to recover the blocked field goal on the final snap of Week 3 and has landed on IR with a pec injury.
No, when the Eagles take the field in Week 4, they will almost certainly be starting Kelee Ringo opposite Quinyon Mitchell at perimeter cornerback, with rookie fifth-round pick Mac McWilliams serving as the primary backup inside and out.
Earlier this summer, had fans been informed that Ringo would be starting in Week 4, they wouldn't be surprised, as he was earning quality marks during minicamp and looked like the heir apparent to take over the starting spot vacated by eventual Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Slay. Ringo is somehow still younger than Mitchell despite being a third-year pro, has all the athletic gifts in the world, and, after learning from Slay in 2024, seemingly had everything he could need to become a great starter.
Unfortunately, Ringo just never got it together, struggling mightily in the preseason against top-tier wide receivers like Ja'Marr Chase before crucially losing the trust of Fangio, as his zero defensive snaps through Week 3 clearly highlight.
Will Ringo put it all together in Week 4 against a Buccaneers team that will be getting back Godwin but will be without Mike Evans? He will certainly have opportunities to, as Mayfield will be targeting him early and often during the afternoon showdown. But the Eagles didn't need to be in this situation. No, after turning in a quality campaign in 2024, the Eagles really should have ponied up a few million dollars to lock up Isaiah Rodgers, who could be absolutely balling out in midnight green once more, instead of on a team Philadelphia will play in Week 7 and could theoretically face in postseason once more early next year.
The Eagles could really use Isaiah Rodgers right now
In Week 3, Isaiah Rodgers turned in one of the single greatest games by a defensive back in NFL history.
Facing off against Ja'Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals with Jake Browning under center, Rodgers absolutely stuffed the stat sheet in only his third game in purple and yellow, forcing two fumbles, picking off a pass, and scoring two touchdowns in only three quarters of action, before Kevin O'Connor rested his starters on the way to a lopsided victory.
Rodgers' efforts were impressive enough to earn Rodgers a perfect 99.9 game grade from Pro Football Focus, marking the first time in the company's history to give that grade to a defensive player.
And the best part, at least for the Vikings? They got that level of production from their fourth-highest paid defensive back, with Rodgers coming in behind Byron Murphy, Harrison Smith, and Josh Metellus at a very cap-friendly $3.6 million.
That's right, after exiting Philadelphia without any real extension conversations, Rodgers signed a two-year, $11.045 million contract with Minnesota, with his 2025 cap hit at $3.63 million and his 2026 number ballooning up to $7.4 million in the final year of his contract. For reference, the Eagles are paying Adoree' Jackson $1.75 million to be a 42.7 graded cornerback on the PFF scale, and they are paying Azeez Ojulari $4 million to be a healthy scratch in each of the first three weeks of the season, with the signing of Za'Darius Smith all but showing how little Fangio thinks about the former New York Giants edge as a viable fit in his scheme.
Would a reliable 27-year-old CB2 be worth an Ojulari and a Jackson, especially with Roseman working his usual cap wizardry? It certainly feels like it.
Now granted, maybe Rodgers is just a better fit in Brian Flores' scheme than Fangio's. In 2024, he was the defense's clear weak link and was targeted early and often whenever he entered the game in place of Slay. At 5-foot-10, 176 pounds, Rodgers is one of the smaller cornerbacks in the league, and maybe between Ringo, ring-chasing free agents, and the 2025 NFL Draft, the Eagles' brass simply thought spending a few million bucks on the young cornerback was an unnecessary luxury, especially if they couldn't guarantee consistent playing time.
And yet, in Week 4, the Eagles will be forced to play Ringo when they have two other cornerbacks they would rather play but can't, and have to adjust their plans accordingly in case he once again struggles with the technicality of the position, a brutal outcome, considering Egbuka and Godwin are both certified technicians on the gridiron.
Who knows, maybe Ringo will turn it altogether and look like the player fans have envisioned for years now. Or maybe the Vikings will fall apart with Carson Wentz under center and be sellers at the trade deadline, offering to happily give Rodgers his midnight green jersey back for a mid-round pick. But when Week 4 opens up, and the Vikings and Eagles take their respective fields for tough outings, one will have Isaiah Rodgers as their CB2, and the other will have Kelee Ringo. Even considering the price, the risk, and the offseason optionality, which sounds like a better situation?
