Eagles' Eli Ricks Fought Doubts with GM's Encouragement

Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman not only signed Eli Ricks, he made sure to push the right buttons with the talented undrafted cornerback.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerback Eli Ricks had his doubts over the summer but they were officially put to rest with a Facetime call from Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni on Tuesday afternoon.

The one-time five-star recruit who chose LSU before finishing his college career at Alabama by plummeting from a potential first-round pick to an undrafted commodity wasn’t being told to bring his iPad back to the NovaCare Complex, Ricks was being informed that he made the initial 53 after a splashy playmaking preseason.

“Howie told me when I first got here, 'There should be no reason why you shouldn't make the 53,'” Ricks told reporters after practice on Thursday.

On the surface, things didn’t look great for Ricks, who had a difficult time getting off the third-team defense during practice, meaning very few reps in joint practices against Cleveland and Indianapolis, the sessions the Eagles typically reserve for their key contributors.

“I held onto [Roseman’s words] the whole time during camp, during this whole process, even when I had some doubts,” said Ricks. “I knew what he told me at the start of the camp and I just kept that [in mind].”

The worm turned in Baltimore when Ricks showed off his natural ball skills by jumping an Anthony Brown pass for a 31-yard pick-six against the Ravens.

The big play didn’t erase all the doubts but it did seem to remind many that Ricks was the top-rated cornerback prospect in the country when he arrived in Baton Rouge and was regarded as a potential first-round pick by ESPN as late as May of 2022, ahead of actual first-rounders like Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez.

“He was the No. 1 corner in the country coming out of high school and going to LSU," Roseman reminded observers. "Then he didn't have his last season that he wanted. He had a lot of adversity as a guy who really thought he would be a high pick. 

"(He) came in with the right attitude.”

The right attitude is a strong step but Ricks still had to open eyes considering Brown was just a fourth-string quarterback who telegraphed a pass.

Where Ricks really cemented his future was against Indianapolis in the preseason finale when the Southern California native was given the gift of opportunity by former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, now the head coach with the Colts, who decided he needed to see more from his top players.

That meant Ricks got to show his mettle against players like Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce with blanket coverage.

“I came in with the mindset, ‘When I get in, I have to make a play,'” Ricks said.

The Playmaking Eli Ricks started his college career at LSU before finishing at Alabama / USA Today

When push came to shove, the Eagles, who’ve downplayed preseason games pretty consistently during the Sirianni era, had to recognize Ricks’ ability to make things happen when the lights were brightest.

“I just knew when the game times were coming, that's when I expected to show my best,” said Ricks. “What I was worried about was would I be able to show my ability because I'm not the first guy going out there on the [practice] field.

“I knew when I got in the game I'd have an opportunity and I took it.”

The margin of error was always going to be very small.

“I knew I wanted to make a big play and I had to stand out, especially being an undrafted guy,” Ricks said. “I always want to pick everything but I knew my opportunities would be slim so I knew I needed something to stick.”

The something that did stick was Ricks outlasting fellow undrafted rookie Mekhi Garner because the Eagles feared getting Ricks through waivers more. The thought, according to a team source, was that the rest of the league sees preseason games and not the daily practices.

Garner, meanwhile, cleared waivers and returned to the Eagles’ practice squad.

Both rookies are now in enviable positions with the ability to learn behind Pro Bowl-level veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry without the pressure of performing immediately.

“They've been really good players in this league for a long time,” Ricks said of the Eagles’ top CB tandem. "I watched them before I came here a lot. Really great cornerbacks. I’m just asking them little things like I asked Bradberry the other day, What’s your workout routine? Post practice, before practice, what do you do throughout the week? Little stuff like that 

"… I barely even ask them questions. They’re just telling me stuff most of the time. And when I do need to ask a question, they’re always there. They’re really good vets."

For Ricks, only the first hurdle has been cleared and there are more plays to be made.

“Yeah, I have to do more,” he said. “All the things I've been doing to get here, I've got to do even more now and I've got to keep building. I think the player that everybody's seen is not even close to the ceiling that I have and I feel like I'm only getting better and I'm not close to that ceiling.”

-Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.

Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen