Eagles Mincamp Overreactions: Keep An Eye On Mekhi Becton, Kelee Ringo

The Eagles held their first mandatory minicamp under head coach Nick Sirianni and here are six overreactions to what took place.

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo (22) runs off the field after win against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles opened their first mandatory minicamp of the four-year reign of head coach Nick Sirianni on Tuesday.

Why now?

“Every year you go through it, and you think to yourself what can we do better this year,” said Sirianni. “We wanted to get some extra practices in, we wanted to set the stage as far as this day is a little different than an OTA day.

“It kind of mirrors a day of practice, but also you can get some meetings done that you don’t have to do in training camp now. …At the end of the day, it’s get out there and work, have the whole team together and working and going hard at it.”

Here are six overreactions from what took place in a practice that ran about an hour:

Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry (24) celebrates with cornerback Darius Slay (2) and linebacker Christian Elliss (53) after his interception against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

James Bradberry. Yeah, the veteran cornerback showed up after skipping voluntary OTAs, and Sirianni dropped a bombshell that Bradberry was here to learn how to play safety. It may have just been a ruse.

Two minutes into practice, Bradberry fell down while backpedaling in a drill and went to the medical tent not to be seen again.

My expectation remains: Bradberry will be gone as soon as a trade partner can be located, and if that takes until August when a cornerback around the league could get hurt, then so be it.

Kelee Ringo. The second-year corner was the standout of the day. Inserted into the starting CB job opposite Darius Slay was a bit surprising, especially after the OTAs that Isaiah Rodgers had, Ringo ran stride-for-stride with A.J. Brown on a deep pass. Ringo was in tight coverage again on Brown, but the receiver was able to turn around and body Ringo off the ball to make a catch from Jalen Hurts.

On another play, Ringo seemed unfazed by John Ross’s speed, staying step-for-step with Ross on a deep thrown down the left sideline that was incomplete.

My expectation is that Rodgers, who had another pass breakup, this time while working with the second-team opposite Quinyon Mitchell, will still be the Day 1 starter, but Ringo is going to make it very interesting.

Mekhi Becton. Keep an eye on this guy, and, at 6-7, 363, he’s not hard to keep an eye on. He played left guard with the first team because Landon Dickerson was missing minicamp with an excused absence from Sirianni. Becton will find a way to make an impact on this year’s team. Somewhere, some way.

Linebackers. Devin White had an interception off a deflection and did a decent job in coverage. Zack Baun continues to get first-team reps with Nakobe Dean and Oren Burks running second team, but something tells me Dean will eventually start in the middle with White moving to off-ball LB.

The more I see of this grouo, however, the less impressed I am by it.

Jalen Hurts. The QB is still working on getting OC Kellen Moore’s offense down, but this may have been the sharpest he has looked this spring, though it wasn’t always a thing of beauty. He threw a ball to DeVonta Smith that Reed Blankenship batted into the air and was picked off by White and he overthrew Dallas Goedert on a deep crossing route near the sideline, but the QB made some nice throws, too.

He came back to Goedert on what looked a similar play that he overthrew, only on the opposite sideline, for a completion that gained about 25 yards. Hurts is going to get this offense down cold and when he does, a bounceback season will follow.

Ainias Smith. The rookie fifth-round pick looks like he’s trying too hard to make an impression. He dropped a pass over the middle and also messed up as a gunner trying to keep the ball out of the end zone during punt drills, a play that drew the ire of special teams coach Michael Clay, who hollered at him from about 40 yards away.

The receiver did make a nice underneath catch, however, and used his speed to get up field and outrun linebacker Ben VanSumeren. He will be OK, but he needs to relax more. When he does, the plays will come.

More NFL: Eagles Veteran Cornerback Shows Up at Minicamp, Will Cross-Train At Safety