It’s been quite a few years since the Philadelphia Eagles had as much depth at the cornerback position as they do now.
They possess two All-Pro starters, one of the best slot defenders in the game, a previous starting cornerback, and four young prospects.
Not bad for a group that was once led by Bradley Fletcher.
The true beauty of having as many talented corners as the Eagles possess is that not all of them need to sit on the bench and wait for an injury or poor play from one of the top starters. With Philadelphia’s decreased value in the safety position, the value of having a cornerback that can play safety is incredibly important.
Eagles secret weapons?
It might just be the perfect opportunity for Kelee Ringo or Greedy Williams to get some playing time in the new position during training camp next week.
At 6’2″ 210 lbs, Ringo is seen as an ideal size for the corner or safety position. His ball-hawking and coverage skills made him a household name in Georgia. That alone could allow the Eagles to transition his game to the safety position, and provide needed depth behind Reed Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds.
He would also follow the footsteps of several good corners that moved to safety to better fit their skills. The clearest example of this was Charles Woodson. Comparing measurables, Woodson and Ringo are almost identical. Ringo ran a fast 40 time (4.36) than Woodson (4.4) but both had the innate ability in college of being around the football and using their quickness to disrupt plays.
Ringo’s major weakness at Georgia was dealing with shifty wide receivers even with his overall speed. If the Eagles were to move him to safety, the team could match him up with players that he can take advantage of while being a menace in the middle of the field very much like Brian Dawkins in his heyday.
Ringo’s size and intangibles match up with many of the greatest safeties of the last two decades. While the Eagles could certainly let him develop as a cornerback, his true future could be an All-Pro-type player at the safety position. He could give the team the needed player they’ve been searching for since Malcolm Jenkins left.
On the other side, Greedy Williams comes with 21 starts over his first three seasons in football. At 6’2″ 185lbs, he may be a tad underweight for the safety position but his length alone could provide the same type of traits Ringo would should either of them move. He has two interception during his time in Cleveland, and while he may have injury concerns, the kind of experience he has is very uncommon for his overall role as a backup with the Eagles.
The sky’s the limit for Kelee Ringo’s NFL career. For Greedy Williams, his time in Philly could be an overall blessing.
The real question for both is just which position will that be in?
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire
