ClutchPoints
When news broke that the Green Bay Packers were releasing Jaire Alexander after seven seasons with the team, the interest of many a Philadelphia Eagles fan was piqued.
On paper, it makes sense, right? The Eagles lost three veteran cornerbacks in Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, and James Bradberry – even if Bradberry didn’t play a single snap in 2024 – and only replaced them with 29-year-old Adoree’ Jackson and Mac McWilliams, a fifth-round pick out of UCF. While Alexander was largely released by the Packers because of availability, not ability, in the NFL, the latter is just as important as the former, especially when a player is being paid like a full-time star, instead of a roll of the dice gamble.
If Alexander is willing to sign a deal in the $3-5 million range, that bet is probably worth taking, as the last full season Alexander played in the NFL ended with a trip to the Pro Bowl. But if he costs more? The Eagles should look to stick with what they have and roll forward into the future, as investing big money in a 28-year-old with major injury issues could cause more harm than good for Philadelphia this fall.
As things presently stand, the Eagles have two Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks on their roster in Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. While the former is at his best in the slot, and could take on an even bigger role for the team this fall in defensive subpackages, the Eagles have been trying him out on the outside in base down packages in order to make him a full-time starter instead of a part-time performer.
But in the modern NFL, where teams typically play with at least five defensive backs on two-thirds of their defensive snaps, a defensive coordinator really needs to have three players who can effectively fill a full-time role, especially with a ringer like DeJean on the inside.
Could that player be Alexander? Potentially so, but the Eagles likely hope the job is instead won by Kelee Ringo, as he perfectly fits the team’s timeline.
A fourth-round pick out of Georgia in 2023, Ringo is somehow still only 22 as he prepares to enter his third NFL season and has the build of a prototypical NFL starter. Standing 6-foot-2, 209 pounds with long arms and a 4.36 40 time, Ringo has a scheme-agnostic build, with the physicality to play in a man-press scheme and the recovery speed to keep up with opposing wide receivers in a variety of different zone looks.
Though he only played 113 defensive snaps in 2024, Ringo finished out the season with just four receptions allowed versus five tackles, earning a PFF overall grade of 65.8 and a coverage grade of 67.2 for his efforts.
Is Ringo a finished product? No, but he has been earning plenty of first-team looks in 2025 during OTAs and minicamp, and has even been afforded a chance to...
