Eagles’ Kelee Ringo ready for his full-circle moment in Seattle as the rookie CB grows into his role

A few weeks before Kelee Ringo packed his bags and departed for Athens, Ga., to begin his college career, the country’s No. 1 cornerback prospect insisted he squeeze in one more training session.

It was spring 2020 and Ringo was back in his native Washington state. This wasn’t any typical workout, though. Certainly not for a soon-to-be college freshman.

When Ringo arrived at Ford Sports Performance, a training facility in the suburbs of Seattle, where he has regularly trained since age 13, the building already was in a jubilant mood with multiple NFL stars in attendance for that day’s on-field session.

Ringo can vividly remember lacing up his cleats while seated on the turf. As he began to stretch out, a massive shadow passed by.

“I belong here,” Ringo silently reminded himself. “I definitely have confidence. My confidence needs to be out the roof.”

That passing silhouette belonged to Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, whom Ringo was assigned to defend during a seven-on-seven session. These workouts typically tend to favor the offense, but Ringo isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

According to several people in attendance, Ringo broke up at least two passes while he shadowed Metcalf. One of his breakups occurred during a sequence in which Metcalf beat Ringo off the line of scrimmage and ran an intermediate out route; by the time Metcalf reached the top of his break, Ringo was able to recover, flip his hips toward the sideline, and dive across Metcalf’s body to smack the football out of play.

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At the time, Ringo was 17, while Metcalf had recently concluded his rookie season with the Seahawks.

“It was a great experience,” recalled Ringo, now an Eagles rookie cornerback. “It forced me to get my first taste of burn before college. I have a lot of respect for DK. He’s an All-Pro receiver.

“… But I’m here for a reason.”

More than four years later, Ringo will have another prime opportunity to line up against Metcalf. The circumstances are noticeably different this time around with Ringo and the Eagles (10-3) scheduled to play Monday night against the Seahawks (6-7) at Lumen Field.

Ringo, a fourth-round pick in April, has played sparingly on defense, but there’s a likelihood his number will be called in this game. Veteran starter Darius Slay just underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, and he has been declared out against the Seahawks. Slay’s injury limited his playing time during the recent loss to the Cowboys, and it was Ringo who emerged as his replacement. Ringo played a career-high 22 defensive snaps, after he had logged just one snap all season.

“Kelee has done a good job, a very good job on special teams. He’s played well in practice,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s had the job of covering A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith during practice, which has helped him get better. He’s earned more opportunities. He’s earned the reps through the things he’s done.”

Beneath his slightly tinted visor, Ringo is usually smiling.

In Ringo’s mind, whatever he might encounter on the football field, those hurdles are minuscule compared with what his mother, Tralee Hale, has endured in recent years.

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Just months into Ringo’s freshman year at Georgia, Hale received a diagnosis of triple negative ductal carcinoma, a rare form of breast cancer that accounts for 10% to 15% of diagnoses and affects minority women between 30 and 40. She underwent two years of chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free in March 2022. However, the time between diagnosis and chemo completion was extremely trying and difficult for Hale, who raised Ringo as a single mother. She eventually moved to Athens to be closer to Ringo.

“I could talk about her for hours,” Ringo said. “One thing that really stuck out is how I’m able to use her as a real-life vessel cord when I go through adversity and being able to grow, seeing her overcome the things that she did, man. [Knowing] any obstacle I’ll come across, I’ll remember her. I’ll remember her hard work, the will she applied to get over anything that was put in front of her.”

Ringo has applied this mindset throughout his rookie season with the Eagles, although his playing time has mostly been limited to special teams.

Ringo’s unique blend of speed and size — he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, ranking in the 92rd percentile, while his frame at 207 pounds was in the 93rd percentile in weight — provides special-teams coordinator Michael Clay with an ideal fit on punt coverage. Ringo is tied for second most special-teams tackles with four.

“He’s getting better each and every week,” Clay said of Ringo earlier in the season. ”His punt return game is something that I’m in awe of every time. Because we put a lot of pressure on him … singled up against those gunners. But he does an outstanding job with his footwork, using his hands, using his leverage to kind of get the return game started. You really can’t get a return game started unless you take out the gunners. [Ringo] is able to go out there, and he prides himself on that, you can see the confidence in himself when he’s able to help out a big return.

“[There is] always a learning curve for everyone, and he’s been doing a great job. I’m praising him but also staying on him [so] that he can strive to be better.”

Against the Cowboys last week, Ringo’s 22 snaps were the most among the team’s trio of reserve defensive backs, including undrafted rookie Eli Ricks and second-year player Josh Jobe. With Slay sidelined for the immediate future, there is a clear opportunity for a young prospect to emerge and aid a struggling pass defense.

It wasn’t exactly a smooth start for Ringo. He was credited with a rare double whammy on just his second snap of the season, when Ringo was penalized twice on the same play for pass interference and tugging an opposing player’s facemask, all while allowing quarterback Dak Prescott to complete a critical third-down pass to receiver Brandin Cooks.

“I would say it was more of a mental thing,” Ringo said. “That was a huge step in my life, getting my first real snaps. You’re going to be going up against grown men. The guys that play at the highest level there is. It’s a quick learning process, but I’ve realized how much technique matters and also studying film, being able to be one step ahead of others.”

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Throughout his career, Ringo has typically been able to rely on his athleticism and size. As a redshirt freshman at Georgia, Ringo had a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal the victory over Alabama in the national championship game.

“Kelee will always be a legend down there,” said Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean, who won the championship playing alongside Ringo. “We grew together in a sense. It’s always love between us. Now we continue to make more memories. Maturing now, I see him from a different level and I realize how it’s deeper than football with mine and his relationship.”

Fellow Georgia standout and rookie Jalen Carter understands he can always turn to Ringo whenever he needs a lift.

“If I’m ever feeling down on myself or if I’m kind of tired during a meeting or whatever, Kelee always is the one to call me out and get my energy up,” Carter said. “I love that about him. And I know the way he approaches the game, he’s going to be on the field sooner than later.”

Ringo, 21, is the youngest player on the team. Tracy Ford, Ringo’s trainer and owner of Ford Sports Performance, said the biggest point of emphasis during Ringo’s pre-draft training wasn’t anything related to performance metrics, but rather film work and technicalities at the position.

“What we needed to do for Kelee was him to understand the game,” Ford said in a phone interview.

As a result of his training under Ford, Ringo has developed a strong bond with seven-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman. Ford’s clientele also includes Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner and Cardinals safety Budda Baker.

“Having those types of resources around him to understand the position and the game is what we wanted to make sure that he got out of it,” Ford said. “We also wanted to show his fluidity. He’s not just a guy who is big and fast. He can change direction, he’s smooth. He’s not just a height, weight, speed guy. He can actually play the position and come in and out of his breaks. And from learning from Sherm, Kelee has the potential be a corner who can play in the league for a very long time.”

Monday night’s game will serve as a full-circle moment for Ringo, who was born and raised in Tacoma, about 30 minutes south of Seattle. Ringo attended Bellarmine Prep High School as a freshman before he moved with his mother to Scottsdale, Ariz., where he developed into a top high school prospect. Despite relocating, Ringo preferred to retreat to Washington for his training over the years.

Ringo has been buried on the depth chart all season, and suddenly, he’s a hot commodity among visitors in the locker room. Reigning All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry noted, though, that Ringo hasn’t changed much with his preparation, considering both the heightened and homecoming circumstances.

“Kelee always asks a lot of questions, and they’re always good questions,” Bradberry said. “That’s what you expect from a rookie. He soaks up whatever we say. No matter the day or time, he’s always inquisitive. I can tell he’s always listening.”

By Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the Eagles departed Philadelphia for Seattle, Ringo was flashing another wide smile in front of his stall at the NovaCare Complex. His steady approach isn’t common for many NFL rookies. But fueled by his Seattle roots and his mother’s inspiring success story, Ringo understands that he belongs here.

“Those penalties,” Ringo said with a slight chuckle, “it’s just part of my growth. There’s a reason why I made it this far. That moment won’t define me. I’m grinding every day, so I’m just continuing who I am. Continuing to be a sponge and knowing my work ethic, what it looks like, and implementing everything into my game.”

The Eagles will visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Monday Night Football showdown. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lumen Field in Seattle.