Eagles Camp Storyline No. 10: The Georgia Five (Make It Six)

Training camp is around the corner and there are 10 storylines that will be revealed over the next 10 days beginning with the need for those Georgia Dawgs to step.

Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis (90) and defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) walk off the field after a victory against the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – The countdown to Eagles training camp is on, with the report date of July 23 shimmering just ahead.

As always, there will be storylines as camp winds through the rest of the month and into August. So, between now and then, 10 will be revealed, one per day, beginning with No. 10 and working up to my top storyline.

No. 10: The Georgia Five (make it six)

In the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts, the Eagles made 12 selections. Five of those picks came from the University of Georgia. That's close to 50 percent. Georgia was on their minds again this past spring.

While general manager Howie Roseman didn’t draft anybody from Georgia, he signed a running back from there in Kendall Milton after the draft. With only seven openings to sign undrafted free agents, it was telling that Roseman went back to Athens to grab another player.

Milton showed some juice during the spring, and the door to the running back room seems slightly ajar. Waiting behind, with a roster spot virtually guaranteed are Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, and rookie Will Shipley.

There are others who will battle with Milton to earn a practice squad spot or convince the Eagles they need to keep four running backs, but he will be given a fair shake along with Lew Nichols and Ty Davis-Price. And with Gainwell in the final year of his rookie deal, there could be a spot in the future for Milton or one of the others.

It's the other five former Bulldogs, however, that will be counted on heavily if the Eagles want to make another run at the Super Bowl.

Of the five draft picks from Georgia, the lowest was Kelee Ringo, who came at No. 105 after the Eagles made a big move up the board to take him early in the fourth round.

Kelee Ringo has shown vast improvement during spring workouts compared to early in his rookie season. / By Ed Kracz

Jalen Carter was picked ninth overall, Jordan Davis No. 13, Nolan Smith No. 30, and Nakobe Dean No.  83. The expectation for players picked in the top 100 – in Ringo’s case just five picks outside that – to contribute early in their careers and often.

Now is the time.

Davis and Carter have already taken steps in that direction, and Carter certainly made his rookie year count, finishing as a runner-up for AP Defensive Player of the Year, registering six sacks and one fumble return for a touchdown while playing 48 percent of the snaps.

Carter must take another big step forward and play consistently for all 17 games after getting off to a strong start before limping to the finish line, and it will be interesting to see what new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has in store for him.

Will Fangio line him up outside on occasion and turn him loose or play him strictly at tackle? The guess here is he will line up outside occasionally.

Davis has shown flashes of greatness in his first two seasons but has yet to be as consistent as you would like from a player taken so high. He had the first 2.5 sacks of his career last year but none after Oct. 22.

Better conditioning could be the key to playing more and playing consistently better for both him and Carter.

As for Smith and Dean, we just don’t know what they are, yet, with Dean battling injury last year in his second season, and Smith battling a shoulder injury and unable to get on the field much. They will be watched closely in this camp to see how they hold up.

Ringo could end up being better than all of them, except for maybe Carter.

The cornerback took a big leap forward late in the season and showed promise in four end-of-season starts he made for Darius Slay after Slay missed time to recover from knee surgery.

Ringo is very much in the mix to start this year, opposite Slay, or even perhaps eventually take over for Slay at some point during the season if Slay, 33, begins to show his age.

Either way, the Georgia Five (make it six) will be must-watch this summer.

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