We call Philadelphia “SEC North” for a reason. Since the start of the 2021 Draft the club has made 40 draft picks. 35% of them have come from the SEC alone and of those 14 picks, 10 played their college ball at either Alabama or Georgia. The household names taken at the top of the draft are easy to remember but Kelee Ringo was a key part of the National Championship squads in both 2021 and 2022 as a starting corner. Philadelphia scooped him up day three (round 4) in the 2022 draft with two roadblocks in front of him, veterans Darius Slay and James Bradberry who both played over 1,000 snaps that season. The door was open slightly in 2023 but both corners were still in the room and both played the vast majority of the snaps while Ringo did get his feet wet intercepting his first pass and allowing a 74.1 passer rating when targeted, lowest among the team’s corners who lined up outside. He remained the odd man out as Bradberry left, but the team drafted first rounder Quinyon Mitchell and signed Isaiah Rodgers. Now with both Slay and Rodgers out, Ringo’s door is wide open.
Jackson is entering his age-30 season, the ninth year of his career. He agreed to a one-year deal with Philadelphia to help fill the Isaiah Rodgers role; a guy that can back up both at nickel and on the outside but can easily transition to a starting role. What he does is also raise the floor of the secondary. While his best days are behind him and he may not be able to cover at the level he once did, there is a sense of security. The floor and ceiling are both known. He is not going to crush a secondary and be picked on by the opposing quarterback over and over, but he also won’t raise the level of the coverage beyond the mean. Three of the past four years, Jackson has allowed a completion percentage between 54-57%, opposing passers threw two touchdowns in his direction each of the past four seasons, and he broke up 5-6 passes. You know what you’re getting with Jackson.
Prediction: Ringo
At the end of the day, Ringo was a talented but young and raw corner when the team brought him in. Veterans blocked him from seeing the field early which helped keep him away from being rushed into action. Now, it’s time. This team needs to know if they have a long-term solution at corner or not and in his limited action to this date, Ringo has proven he deserves a shot. Jackson will likely be best suited for the versatile backup role.