Ringo's Ready, Let's Hunt, And A Reclamation Candidate: Eagles' Spring Takeaways

 Sustained success is the goal for the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the team's spring work highlighted a group that looks ready to contend again in the 2025 season.

It was one of the sharper offseasons of the Nick Sirianni era, highlighted by two young defenders foreshadowing their potential elevations to the starting lineup, a rebuilt tight end room flashing impressive depth, and a former college star reminding observers that there is still talent to be mined.

RINGO’S FOR REAL?

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Set to turn 23 later this month, Kelee Ringo is younger than a lot of cornerbacks who were drafted back in April, and the Georgia product already has two years of experience in what has been a developmental haven in Philadelphia, something that only ramped up when Vic Fangio and Christian Parker arrived last season.

From a physical standpoint, Ringo has everything you need in an outside CB from size to length, physicality, speed, and ball skills. The only thing missing when he arrived in 2023 as the youngest player in the NFL was the technique and fundamentals to turn projection into performance.

A strong spring earned Ringo the right to enter training camp as the RCB opposite Quinyon Mitchell, with Adoree’ Jackson, a player the Eagles also really like by the way, serving as a solid veteran insurance policy, and CB3 heir to Isaiah Rodgers, who is getting rave reviews as a penciled in starter in Minnesota.

BETTER TE DEPTH

The Eagles only carried two tight ends on their initial 53-man roster last season (Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra) and cobbled things together from there with E.J. Jenkins filling in as the TE3 for most of the season, ultimately playing in 12 games (including the playoffs), with a nominal one reception for seven yards over 112 offensive snaps.

This spring, after the Eagles worked out a contract impasse with Goedert, it appeared that Philadelphia had at least five TEs performing at a higher level than Jenkins. The aforementioned Goedert and Calcaterra, as well as prove-it, free-agent signings Kylen Granson and Harrison Bryant, and Nick Muse, who came in late last season after spending most of the year on the Vikings’ practice squad.

The Muse-Kyle McCord chemistry was the talk of minicamp, and good enough to project Muse, a South Carolina product, getting some second-team reps over the summer.

No matter how it shakes out, the Eagles will be cutting NFL-level players at the position this August.

LET’S HUNT

Let’s Hunt was the Eagles' marketing slogan during the run to a Super Bowl LIX championship at the end of last season.

The organization might as well bring it back and rebrand it to sell some t-shirts for second-year edge defender Jalyx Hunt, who is on a trajectory to be a starter opposite Nolan Smith with a strong summer.

Thought to be a developmental project as a third-round pick out of Houston Christian last season, Hunt was more than serviceable when thrown into the deep end of the pool after injuries to Brandon Graham and Bryce Huff last season.

The former Cornell safety’s athleticism and length gave Jordan Mailata a few fits at minicamp, and it's time to recognize that Hunt may be the type of player who learns on the job while holding his own due to his impressive physical traits.

RECLAMATION PROJECT

Most thought 2022 No. 15 overall pick Kenyon Green would be this year’s reclamation project on the offensive line, but the early returns point to veteran Matt Pryor, pushing third-year leader in the clubhouse, Tyler Steen, for the right guard spot.

To me, if you want the redemption story, focus on 2021 No. 59 overall selection Terrace Marshall Jr. Once part of an amazing trio of LSU receivers that also included superstars Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, Marshall never broke out in Carolina with a bad roster around him.

The imposing 6-foot-2, 200-pound Marshall showed up this spring for the Eagles with plenty of first-team reps while All-Pro A.J. Brown took it easy and star WR2 DeVonta Smith spent most of his time in Florida during voluntary work.

Marshall proved he belonged from a physical standpoint in the spring, catching a high volume of passes and beating star CBs Cooper DeJean and Mitchell on occasion. 

Marshall is clearly the fourth-best receiver on the team behind Brown, Smith, and Jahan Dotson. He is not a special-teams player, however, and it may be tough to keep Marshall unless you can contribute elsewhere.

It’s worth noting that the Eagles signed DeVante Parker to be an outside-the-numbers backup before the veteran unexpectedly retired during spring work.

MAC ATTACK

For whatever reason, cornerback Mac McWilliams, a fifth-round pick, was one of the Eagles’ more overlooked Day 3 picks. 

McWilliams played well outside at Central Florida but his size (5-10, 191) projecting him inside at the pro level. 

Fangio likes to start players out at their natural position before the cross-training begins and that was the case with McWilliams, who dipped his toes in outside the numbers before starting to get some inside work at minicamp, a trajectory highlighting that McWilliams was showing the football IQ to move along quickly.

The Pensacola native was sticky in coverage as well. If the ball skills advance and McWilliams has the physicality to handle the run fits in the slot, he could be a sneaky candidate to contribute as a rookie.