‘More Of A Teammate’

PHILADELPHIA – When I last spoke to Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks, aside from exchanging pleasantries in passing throughout the season, he sported a wide grin and had a noticeable bounce in his step.

The second-year pro, strolling toward one of the home locker room exits, stopped for a brief interview before continuing on his way.

The preseason had just wrapped, and Ricks was heading back home to California following a long and grueling training camp. For Ricks, it was another strong finish to the NFL’s equivalent of a marathon, his weeks-long showcase appearing to be enough to elbow his way onto the Eagles’ 53-man roster for the second consecutive season.

But unlike last season, when Ricks logged 301 defensive snaps out of necessity, the Eagles drastically altered the landscape of the cornerback room during the offseason, selecting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first and second rounds, respectively.

Pushing Ricks further down in the pecking order was Isaiah Rodgers, the talented 26-year-old veteran who was reinstated from a year suspension back in April.

GETTY IMAGES: Second-year CB Eli Ricks is focusing on being a great teammate with his playing time diminished.

When factoring the inclusion of another veteran, Avonte Maddox, playing time for Ricks was always going to be at a premium

Now operating in relative anonymity – though not to be forgotten – Ricks has provided value to the team in a different capacity. He’s been active for only two of the Eagles’ first seven games and played just eight special teams snaps, and none on defense.

Ricks has taken a backseat in terms of his on-field contributions, but the 23-year-old cornerback, now seeing the game from a different perspective, is able to impart much of what he gathers from observations to his cornerback room.

And as he learned last season, Ricks never knows when his number will be called. If it’s called at any point, Ricks, who practices and prepares as though he were playing, will be ready.

On Friday, I visited Ricks at his locker stall for a mid-season catch up, delving into a multitude of topics, including offseason traveling, training, and his Los Angeles Dodgers:

Andrew: It’s been a while since we caught up, but I wanted to do a mid-season check-in. Going back a bit, but did you travel anywhere during the offseason?

Eli: “Yeah, I got to travel to Europe, went back home [California], and I went out to Cabo.”

Andrew: Where in Europe did you visit?

Eli: “I went to Italy for about a week, then I went back home for most of the duration of training. And then, fourth of July, I went to Cabo.”

Andrew: Do you consider yourself an avid traveler?

Eli: “I mean, I finally have the money to travel. [laughs]. So, I haven’t been a big-time traveler. Always wanted to be.

Andrew: Did you train at all with [Texans cornerback] Derek [Stingley]? I know you have a close relationship.

Eli: “Yeah. That’s the other spot I forgot to mention. I went to Hawaii, too.”

Andrew: You went to Hawaii?! What part?

Eli: “I went to Honolulu.”

Andrew: What’d you think of it? Was that your first time being there?

Eli: “Nah, it’s like my third time being there. But it’s our second time training there, too. And then I went there with my family before, like four years ago. So, we’ve been there a lot, honestly. But it was good seeing [Stingley], good training with him. I love seeing him play; he’s doing great right now. So, it was good catching up with him.”

Andrew: How big was the group?

Eli: “It was probably about a group of, like, 15 of us. Just really Derek and Derek’s father and his kind of camp. And really kind of all Derek’s either ex-teammates or teammates or players that’s grow up with that are in the NFL. It’s a place for us to train and kind of get our feet right and stuff before training camp.”

Andrew: Thoughts on your Dodgers winning the World Series?

Eli: “Man, you see what I’m wearing today [gestures to a Dodgers jersey hanging in his locker]. I feel great. I’m glad we didn’t have the mindset to take it home, to finish it back home. If I’m being honest, though, it wasn’t really us [the Dodgers] winning the game; it was more so the Yankees losing the game in the fifth inning. It feels good, definitely, but it was just, honestly, the Yankees losing that game. I’m just glad we won, though.”

Andrew: What was your primary focus during off-season training?

Eli: “Obviously, getting back healthy. Just little nagging injuries I had and stuff like that were just nicks and stuff that were bothering me. I had a little bit of problems with my knee last year. And then, honestly, after that, just staying on top of my technique. I really just came in ready to go, and really in much better shape than I came in last year. You know how it is being a rookie, you don’t really have a break, so mostly my body was very fatigued when I came in last year – my rookie year – and I wanted to make sure that I felt I was well-prepared and ready to go when I came back. So, that really what I stayed on top of.”

Andrew: What kind of perspective did playing nickel last season provide for you as a corner?

Eli: “Definitely helped me a lot. I mean, when I moved back to corner, I would know where the nickel’s gonna be, his responsibility, where he’s gonna drop – when he’s gonna drop. Like, I could tell the nickel, ‘Look out for this.’ I would have more of a concept of what he’s doing and know what he’s doing, so when I’m playing corner now, I could play with another trick in the back of my mind. So, that would help me.

“And just also knowing in-breaking routes or some routes to the flats and stuff like that, you could play different, because I know exactly where that nickel’s dropping now compared to just thinking in my head, like, ‘Oh, he’s getting to the flat,’ or ‘He’s getting to the curl-hook.’ And I don’t really know when, compared to, like, ‘OK, probably when the QB reaches his third drop step, like, he’ll be right in the dig window.’ Compared to just playing it.”

Andrew: [Eagles defensive coordinator] Vic [Fangio], on multiple occasions, has said you had a good camp. How would you assess your summer?

Eli: “Honestly feel I had a solid, good training camp. Always can be better, I think. But I think, with the chances I had, I feel like I did the most I could. I feel like in the preseason games, I feel I did pretty fair, to be honest. But I feel like I only get better with time. I’m still young, just turned 23, so I’m just ready to see what happens.”

Andrew: What do you like about playing in this defense?

Eli: “He really let’s the corners cover. And that’s one thing I like, honestly. The corners gotta earn their money. He likes to blitz a lot, which is also nice. I don’t wanna mention too much about the defense, but he kind of always keeps the offense guessing. And we put in something new nearly every week. So, that’s one thing I do like a lot. He’s always adding something, or adding something else to another play that’s forced to use later on in the season. ‘Cause that’s what you gotta do, you gotta be proactive. So, that’s one word I would use to describe him, is him being proactive.”

Andrew: “Now, you’re obviously not playing as much as you did last year. How do you personally go about staying engaged when you’re not on the field?

Eli: “Focusing on kind of just being more of a teammate, honestly. That’s how I stay more engaged. Helping them with situations, asking them about situations. Giving them tips and pointers when I see something, because I’m looking at it from a different eye now. And, you know, I’m still practicing like I’m gonna go out there and play. So, that’s the main thing, obviously, besides the off-the-field stuff. And I keep it the same, honestly. So, that’s how I stay engaged.”

Andrew: What have you seen from Isaiah [Rodgers]?

Eli: “I mean, really since he came in – honestly, the first thing I noticed about him – [he’s] a really great teammate. He’s probably the one that texts the most in the group chat, and he just got here. So, that’s the good thing about him, always been a great teammate. And as a player, real quick, twitchy, type of corner and a really smart and tenacious guy. And, you know, a really cool dude, like I said, as soon as he came in. And I know he wants to win. He works really hard. He loves this club, loves this tradition, the history of this club.”

Andrew: Last one for you. Where do you feel you’ve shown the most growth since making the jump to Year 2?

Eli: “That’s a great question. I’ll probably just have to say being a teammate, honestly.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.