Sydney Brown in the slot, why not?
Kelee Ringo at safety? Maybe.
The two Philadelphia Eagles rookie secondary pieces are being shuffled around due to injury.
Brown played 12 reps in the slot against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but a hamstring injury suffered in that game is lingering. He didn’t practice for a second straight day as the Eagles continue to prepare for their Week 4 game against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday (FOX/1 p.m.).
Perhaps the biggest news is Ringo being cross-trained at safety, something he revealed on Thursday. If neither Brown nor Justin Evans can play on Sunday, Ringo could end up being the emergency safety.
Evans suffered a neck injury early in the win over the Bucs, and they can be tricky to return from too quickly.
“If the opportunity comes, I’ll definitely be prepared for it,” said Ringo, a cornerback by trade.
Ringo added that he has played some safety at the University of Georgia, but only during practice. He certainly has the size at 6-2, 207 pounds.
“Corner, you have to be a lot more technically sound play in and play out every single moment,” he said. “So, I would definitely say corner’s a little bit harder. At safety, you’re basically the quarterback of the defense aside from the linebacker, so you have to be able to know what everybody else does and also your cues, and you have to play the run and the pass.
“You have to be prepared, and in order to do that. You have to get the extra film study and do the little things right.”
If the Eagles are short two safeties, that leaves only Reed Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds to man the position. The Eagles also have safety Tristin McCollum who could be elevated from the practice squad.
Ringo, though, was a fourth-round pick. If he can pick up some safety traits, he could be the way the Eagles turn if necessary.
“The DB coaches with Coach (D.K.) McDonald, Coach (Ronell) Williams, and Coach (Taver) Johnson prepare those guys,” said defensive coordinator Sean Desai. “There is a certain standard that if you're in this room you better learn some different spots.”
That was revealed when Brown got some slot reps. Right now, James Bradberry is taking the majority of those nickel snaps, but Desai said that when Brown is healthy, he could play more of a role there.
“He has a really good football mind,” the DC said. “He's hungry. There is an opening and an opportunity for him to take some reps and learn that position, and there is a lot of carryover for some of the things we require of him at safety.
“So, we thought there was a good correlation for him to learn it, and he did it. He did a good job in that game in the role that he was in.”
So far, Ringo’s NFL experience has been on special teams, logging 53 snaps in that phase of the game (68 percent).
“I just want to contribute the best way I can,” said Ringo. “If that’s on special teams until I get a chance on defense, so be it. I just want to do my part.”
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