Kelee Ringo struggles in preseason opener: Is it too late to recover? Where do Eagles go from here with CB2?

PHILADELPHIA -- Kelee Ringo holds himself to a high standard. He expects better of himself, no matter the positive and negative plays that affect him on the football field.

Facing Ja'Marr Chase was an opportunity to show the Eagles they were correct in putting stock in Ringo for the open CB2 job. This was Ringo's chance to show he could cover arguably the best wideout in the NFL.

Like most cornerbacks Chase faces, Ringo looked as if he didn't belong on an NFL field. 

"(There's) a lot of room to grow, for sure," Ringo said. "But man, just always looking for something that you can better yourself in and be the best version of myself. That's what I'm looking to do."

Ringo was one of the few defensive starters who played in Thursday's 34-27 preseason-opening victory against the Bengals. The opposite occurred with Cincinnati, which is looking to avoid another slow start under Zac Taylor -- and  potentially miss another postseason in the process. So the first-team offense played, meaning Joe Burrow and Chase, an opportunity for Ringo to display his raw coverage skills against the best of the best. 

Burrow and Chase looked in midseason form, continuing to target Ringo as the mismatch was evident. Facing a first-and-10 on the Bengals' second possession at the 36-yard line, Burrow looked to the left side of the field for Chase as Ringo was on him. Ringo put himself in a position to make a play, going step by step as Chase made the quick turn on the route. 

Ringo didn't read the route immediately, allowing Chase to catch the pass. The next move was where the red flags came up.  

As Chase caught the ball, Ringo put himself in position to make the tackle and stop Chase short of crossing the first-down marker. Chase caught the ball at the 29 and made an inside move, which Ringo badly whiffed as he looked to get in position for a tackle attempt.

Chase scored a 36-yard touchdown as Ringo chased him into the end zone. Ringo just turned his head and went to the sideline. There was nothing he could do. 

"He makes a good play, a quick gain, I overrun the tackle, and a good player makes a good play," Ringo said. "I just gotta come out there and approach it a little better."

The touchdown given up was a microcosm of Ringo's night. An opportunity for the former five-star cornerback out of Georgia to seize the Eagles' CB2 job in the wake of an early training camp trade that brought cornerback Jakorian Bennett to Philadelphia. 

All Ringo did was confirm what the Eagles may have already known. They needed help at cornerback, and are still in the search for a starter.

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Jeff Kerr

Is it too late for Ringo?

A poor performance in the preseason opener doesn't take Ringo out of the running for the starting cornerback job, especially when the receiver Ringo was facing was Chase. With that being said, facing those type of wideouts is what Ringo will be facing on a weekly basis. 

Ringo was routinely beaten by Chase in the few snaps he lined up against him. The same tale held with Adoree' Jackson, as Chase easily was beating Ringo's top competitor for the CB2 job. Neither Ringo nor Jackson were average in the preseason opener, showing the Eagles have a problem with finding a starter at cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell. 

This is the same Ringo who was a star on a Georgia defense that featured Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith and Nakobe Dean -- all of his teammates who started on the Eagles' Super Bowl defense last season. The same Ringo who sealed Georgia's national championship victory over Alabama just three years ago -- when he was only 20 years old. 

Now just 23, Ringo was excited for the challenge that awaited him as he entered the biggest offseason of his NFL career. By his own admission, he didn't live up to the moment. 

"Just go out there, play with technique and trust yourself. Believe in what you see, and just play with ultimate swagger," Ringo said. "Today, man, I could've played a little bit better."

Where do Eagles go from here?

The Eagles have four weeks to sort out this battle for CB2, one that became more intriguing once Bennett entered the picture. Philadelphia traded for Bennett earlier this week to compete for a starting job, thanks to the up-and-down play from Ringo and Jackson through the first nine training camp practices.

Playing against an actual opponent on Thursday night, there were more negatives than positives from both Ringo and Jackson. This puts Bennett farther along in the CB2 competition, even though he just arrived in Philadelphia three days ago. 

"That doesn't necessarily have anything to do with me, personally, or mentally," Ringo said of the Bennett trade. "The best thing I can do for myself is just come out here and play the best version of myself and play good football every single day, trust my teammates. 

"He's a great addition to the room, can help make us better."

The Eagles have more depth at the cornerback position, but do they have a starter opposite Mitchell? They'll find out over the next few weeks when Bennett gets his shot.

As for Ringo? This isn't the end of him factoring into the cornerback battle. Ringo is still a stalwart in the Eagles' plans as an excellent special teamer (received All-Pro votes last year) and depth to a young cornerback room. 

For the Eagles sake, they're hoping Ringo took a step back to take two steps forward. 

"(Just) coming out there and playing with ultimate confidence," Ringo said. "Of course I play with that. Just a couple of missed tackles."