Undrafted free agents have always been a mainstay of the Philadelphia Eagles roster.
Last year, four UDFAs made the team, and one of them, Reed Blankenship, is entrenched as this year’s starting safety, the other, cornerback Josh Jobe, is expected to be the top reserve at his position behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
The other two from a season ago were part of Tuesday’s cuts to get the roster to 53 players – receiver Britain Covey and offensive lineman Josh Sills.
One of last year’s undrafted free agents, cornerback Mario Goodrich, spent the season on the practice squad, except for a one-game elevation in which he didn't see the field, made this year's final 53.
Then there’s Eli Ricks.
The cornerback from Alabama via LSU was the only UDFA from this past spring's class to make this year’s final roster.
“Obviously, you talk about pedigree,” said general manager Howie Roseman. “He was the No. 1 corner in the country coming out of high school and going to LSU. Then didn't have his last season that he wanted to there, and he was a guy that we spent a lot of time on in the draft process.
“He came in with an opportunity, and I think what we saw is this is a long, instinctive player with good athleticism and ball skills. Those guys are hard to find. His work ethic, his care factor was really high.”
Ricks stood before a small group of reporters following the final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts a humbled man. He said he was always used to being the top player wherever he went, from high school to college.
“This has been a very hard experience for me,” he said. “I’m usually the first guy called on ever since I’ve played football. Now it’s totally opposite and I have to prove my spot to be here. That’s really all my focus has been, just shifting my mindset and I grew a lot as a person from that.”
It’s certainly an adjustment from always being the best to having to compete and to always looking for ways to improve.
To his credit, it was a lesson he began learning as early as his final year at Alabama when he landed in coach Nick Saban’s doghouse for a spell. It may have also been a reason he wasn’t drafted.
“That's a great success story for him when he had a lot of adversity here as a guy who really thought he would be a high pick going into the year,” said Roseman. “He came in with the right attitude, and we called him and told him he was on the team.
“At the same time, like we tell all these young players, there are no scholarships in the NFL for any of us, and so you have to keep working, have to keep improving, and we'll keep judging. We evaluate every day, and that's what we'll keep doing.”
Ricks talked about the Eagles’ veteran leadership at his position, with Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
An important message those two vets are preaching has to do with never being satisfied with your game.
Bradberry was asked by SI Eagles Today last Sunday if this summer has been different for him in that he has the security of a three-year contract signed in the offseason after betting on himself last summer when he signed a one-year deal after being released by the New York Giants.
“I’m on a year-to-year basis,” he said. “You never know what things can happen in this business, how things can shake out."
It's a lesson that young players such as Ricks seem to be learning.
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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