At the start of this week, there was a thought that the Philadelphia Eagles could be without standout cornerback Quinyon Mitchell for their Week 7 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Mitchell suffered a hamstring injury during the Eagles’ Week 6 loss to the New York Giants, forcing them to play Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo at the same time.
That plan did not work out for the Eagles, as both defenders struggled mightily, and it only heightened fans' fears of what could happen against the Vikings' skilled group of WRs. However, on Thursday, Eagles fans received great news as Mitchell was upgraded to a full participant after being limited on Wednesday.
If Mitchell doesn’t suffer a setback on Friday, he'll be in line to start on Sunday. But that isn’t good for Ringo, whose immediate future with the team is now in jeopardy.
Kelee Ringo’s Future with Eagles Looking Murky Ahead of Trade Deadline
Ringo took over as CB2 in Week 4 for an injured Adoree’ Jackson and has been underwhelming over the last two games. Last week, the New York Giants went right at Ringo, who gave up four completions for 73 yards on five targets. He also allowed a 118.7 pass rating when targeted, which isn't ideal for any player in the secondary.
After that performance, Eagles fans immediately voiced their concerns about the CB2 spot and wanted the team to find an upgrade ahead of the trade deadline. And then to make matters worse for Ringo, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told reporters earlier this week that Jackson would start in Week 7.
“Right now it’s probably going to be Adoree’Jackson,” Fangio said, via Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. If that’s indeed the case, Philadelphia's front office has no choice but to dangle Ringo in trade discussions ahead of the deadline.
Ringo was given a few chances to solidify himself as the Eagles’ second starting cornerback, but couldn’t run away with the job. Now you might be asking yourself, would Ringo even have any value to begin with, based on his play?
The answer is surprisingly, yes. Even though he hasn’t played his best as of late, there are a few teams that would take a flier on a 6-foot-2, 207-pound corner that can play special teams and won’t be a free agent until 2027.
Would the Eagles entertain trading Ringo to a team like the Tennessee Titans for Arden Key or Dre’Mont Jones? Or potentially use him in a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to get Riq Woolen, as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed?
These are all questions that will hopefully be answered in the coming weeks, as the Eagles try to figure out what is next for their defense and for Ringo.