The Philadelphia Eagles appeared to get a steal early on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Eagles landed Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo at No. 105 overall in the fourth round.
But instead of a steal, Ringo has become a liability in Philadelphia’s secondary. On Thursday, Fansided’s Inside the Iggles’ Ryan Heckman argued the Eagles should move on from Ringo.
Whether through a trade or flat out release, Heckman just wants to see Ringo off the Philadelphia roster.
“Ringo is coming out of Year 3 and it very well could be argued as his worst yet as a pro. With a poor coverage grade of just 49.2 per PFF and a season that saw him penalized a whopping seven times, he’s got to go,” wrote Heckman.
“Even as a reserve, Ringo makes fans nervous. If either Woolen or Mitchell get hurt, the Eagles are bound to see him come in and make a dumb mistake like he does so often. At this point, try the guys behind him as the top reserves. He needs to go, whether it’s being cut or traded for pretty much anything at all.”
In 51 NFL games, Ringo has posted 73 combined tackles and five pass defenses. Statistically, he had his best season last year.
But the analytics suggest Ringo is getting worse. At Pro Football Focus, the cornerback registered the worst coverage and overall grade of his career in 2025.
Could Eagles Part Ways With Kelee Ringo?
This offseason, Philadelphia seemed to indicate a lack of confidence in Ringo moving forward.
Instead of allowing Ringo to compete for a starting role in 2026, the Eagles signed Riq Woolen to a 1-year contract in NFL free agency. Woolen will start opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Fellow cornerback Cooper DeJean could play a variety of roles, including safety, this fall.
As the roster stands, Ringo could see the field on Dime packages or in the nickel formation if DeJean lines up at safety.
Even in that situation, though, Heckman clearly doesn’t trust Ringo.
The young cornerback hasn’t provided many reasons to believe in him. Last season, he posted a 55.3 PFF overall grade. That was 10 points worse than his grade during 2024.
Entering the 2023 NFL Draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein considered Ringo a second-round pick. Zierlein compared the Georgia product to longtime Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith.
“Boundary corner with an impressive blend of size and athleticism,” wrote Zierlein. “Ringo is uniquely suited to travel the field and match talents against some of the bigger targets in the league.
“Ringo’s traits will be highly coveted and he has a chance to become a very good NFL cornerback if his route recognition continues to develop.”
Ringo appeared to be a steal on Day 3. But he hasn’t fulfilled his expectations.
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As previously mentioned, Mitchell, Woolen and DeJean are Philadelphia’s top three cornerbacks. That doesn’t mean, though, that the Eagles will be willing to do whatever it takes to move on from Ringo.
To trade or cut Ringo this summer, Philadelphia will have to be confident in a couple other cornerbacks on its roster.
In addition to Woolen, the Eagles signed Jonathan Jones in NFL free agency. Furthermore, the team has Jakorian Bennett, Michael Carter II, Mac McWilliams, Ambry Thomas, and undrafted rookie Kapena Gushiken listed as cornerbacks on the offseason roster.
Two or three of those players will have to replace Ringo on defense and special teams if the Eagles part with the former Georgia cornerback.
While Ringo has struggled on defense, he has carved out a special teams role. He has played at least 300 special teams snaps every season of his NFL career.
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