Eli Ricks' spot on the 2024 Eagles 53-man roster isn't certain

How's it going everybody? We're doing awesome. Thank you for asking. We were a little bored this summer. We're always a little bummed when the Philadelphia Eagles take some time off before the start of training camp. There just isn't much to talk about, outside of some NBA stuff and baseball (thank Heaven the Phillies are winning).

We woke up in a good mood though. We're excited about the Birds. Every now and again, random thoughts cross our mind like 'Dang! Saquon Barkley is an Eagle!'

The secondary gives us cause to smile too. We have asked about depth, but there doesn't seem to be any issues with that at the cornerback position. In fact the opposite is true. Philly might be forced to part with some good players as the numbers game may wind up forcing them to.

Eli Ricks isn't assured of making the Eagles' roster for a second straight season.

It didn't take much for Eagles fans to begin paying attention to Eli Ricks. A 2023 undrafted rookie addition, following his pick-six versus the Baltimore Ravens during a preseason game last year, his approval rating soared. Philly announced an initial 53-man roster on August 29th, and rather than keep six corners (the league average), they had determined it was best to keep seven. Ricks made the cut.

Zech McPhearson was lost for the regular season after suffering a preseason injury. Avonte Maddox would suffer a setback in Week 2 and would be lost from Week 3 until Week 16. Darius Slay missed Week 6 and Week 14 through Week 17. All of that led to Ricks seeing some unexpected playing time.

After being inactive for Philly's season opener, Ricks played 43 special teams snaps from Week 2 through Week 4. Then, he began seeing more snaps as part of the defensive unit.

He topped out at 47 defensive snaps in Week 9 (versus Dallas) and 43 snaps in the regular-season finale versus the New York Giants. In total, he'd bank 16 games, 301 snaps on defense, and another 212 on special teams, but recent additions may have made the former Second-Team All-SEC nod expendable.

As mentioned, Philly kept seven cornerbacks on the roster last season. Part of that stems from their fear that placing Ricks on the practice squad would result in another team swooping in to steal him (pun intended), but let's say Philly keeps six corners on the roster this season. Ricks would be out, right?

At the time of this story's release, James Bradberry hasn't been released or traded, so he's in seemingly if he stays. Darius Slay will make the roster, as will the first and second-round draft choices (Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean). Isaiah Rodgers feels like a lock. Kelee Ringo was a fourth-round draft choice in 2023. He's in.

Call us crazy. If our math is correct, however, that's already six guys.

What about the rest of the depth chart? Sure, he gets hurt often, but the Eagles value Avonte Maddox more than they value Ricks.

What about Josh Jobe? He's a good gunner and one of Philly's best players on special teams. Arguments can be made that Philly will hang on to him before they hang on to Eli.

Ricks's cap hit in 2024 is a tad over $1 million, but he only represents a $6,667 dead cap hit. The writing may be on the wall here, and though some of this may seem a bit crass, Ricks has proven that he has the stuff to cut it in the NFL if coached properly. The question is this? Will he be earning that opportunity in Philly next season?

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