The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing for their second preseason game and the time for making decisions on their starting lineup is drawing closer. Saturday night’s matchup with the Cleveland Browns likely won’t have the regular cast of characters that will take the field for the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4, but players vying for a job will have another opportunity to plead their case.
That’s what will play out in one key position group against the Jets. While the projected starter entered training camp with an advantage, his play has fallen off and opened the door for him to be replaced ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup.
Adoree’ Jackson Leaps Kelee Ringo in Eagles CB Battle
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Adoree’ Jackson was taking first team reps in Thursday’s joint practice against the Jets. The move is significant because Kelee Ringo sat at the top of the depth chart for most of training camp, but has struggled to the point where the Eagles have decided to try something else.
“A day after one of his lesser outings, cornerback Kelee Ringo was relegated to strictly second string with Adoree’ Jackson taking all the starting repetitions,” McLane wrote. “We’ll see how much each plays in Saturday’s preseason game, but Jackson could be separating from Ringo and others vying for that spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.”
If Jackson doesn’t play much against the Browns, the Eagles may have found their starting corner. Ringo had high expectations as a draft prospect coming out of Georgia, but the Eagles selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. While some tabbed it as another draft steal by general manager Howie Roseman, Ringo hadn’t seen the field much, logging 36 total tackles, a sack, an interception and three pass defenses in his first two seasons.
The departure of Darius Slay to the Pittsburgh Steelers gave Ringo a chance to win a starting job in camp. But his play has been uneven in practice and he was torched for four catches 79 yards and a long touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase on four targets in the preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jackson wasn’t perfect in the opener, allowing four catches for 45 yards and a deep out route on a pass from Joe Flacco to Jerry Jeudy in Thursday’s practice. But the veteran, who was added on a one-year, $1.75 million contract this offseason, could wind up winning the starting job with a strong performance on Saturday night.