Eagles rookie corner Kelee Ringo thriving after waiting his turn on defense

After waiting his turn to play on defense all season, Eagles rookie cornerback Kelee Ringo has enjoyed some success.

Ringo has started two consecutive games at outside cornerback in place of injured veteran Darius Slay (knee). Over 46 coverage snaps, Ringo has allowed just two completions with an opposing quarterback rating of 2.8, according to Pro Football Focus.

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The young corner also picked off New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor as time expired to seal Monday’s victory.

“I’m just blessed to be in this position, but I have to keep making plays,” Ringo said. “I just have to trust myself, trust what I’ve done in practice all year, and remember I belong on the field.”

Ringo is in line to start his third straight game on Sunday, when the Eagles host the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field (1 p.m., Fox29). At some point during pregame warmups, Ringo is planning to venture over to the visitors’ side of the field, and seek out Cardinals five-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker.

The two defensive backs grew up in Washington state and they regularly train together during the offseason at Seattle area-based Ford Sports Performance. Ringo, 21, credits Baker, 27, for helping with his technique and instincts, particularly with predicting how a receiver will break at the top of his route based on his movement, and how to react and recover.

“His message is always keep your head down, and you can’t cheat the grind,” Ringo said of Baker. “That’s one of the main things he stands for and I respect that about him so much.”

Tracy Ford, head trainer and owner of Ford Sports Performance, said Ringo has looked up to Baker, a three-time All-Pro selection, since he was in high school. Throughout his youth, Ringo aspired to be a wide receiver. It wasn’t until Ringo was a sophomore, when he had a conversation about his future with Baker and Ford, that he started training full time at cornerback.

“Being able to see Kelee grow, and follow him and his journey, it’s been amazing, to be honest,” Ford said. “I just remember how it started. ... We told him straight up, ‘Hey, look, you’re so fast and athletic, that we think if you can play corner, and we’re going to learn to cover people and when the ball is in the air and turn into a receiver, you’re going to get paid to play this game. You’re going to be one of the best corners in the country and you’re going to get paid to play this game.’”

Following his position switch, Ringo emerged as the country’s No. 1-ranked cornerback prospect by his senior year. He was heavily recruited by the University of Washington, Baker’s alma mater, but ultimately attended the University of Georgia, where he won back-to-back national championships in 2021-2022. The Eagles selected Ringo in the fourth round (No. 105) of this past April’s NFL draft.

Over 15 games, he’s logged 280 special-teams snaps (71%). These past two weeks, he’s played 83 of his 106 defensive snaps, with two passes defensed, one interception, and eight tackles.

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“It was good for him to start from the bottom up,” Ford said. “Grind his way on special teams. How you make your name early on is on [special] teams. So every time he gets an opportunity, he’s got to seize it. You can’t look at teams like it was in high school, where nobody wanted to be on punt team. That’s your moment now. The more plays you make there, the more opportunities you’re going to get playing on the field because people are going to start trusting you more.”