Ja’Kobi Lane has been the name buzzing around Baltimore Ravens camp, and that’s exactly why the Philadelphia Eagles may have to pay attention when the preseason opener rolls around.
According to Ebony Bird’s Connor Burke, Lane has already looked like the kind of player who can change how a defense feels about a matchup. Burke said, "Ja’Kobi Lane has been the star of the show at Baltimore Ravens training camp.
It’s really taking him no time at all to take people’s breath away. He’s looking like a superstar out there."
That’s a big statement, but it lines up with the reports coming out of camp. Lane, a third-round pick, has reportedly been stacking up highlight plays every day and is drawing the kind of attention that makes it easy to picture a long NFL run.
For Eagles fans, the natural reaction is to shrug and point out that this is only preseason. But the bigger concern is less about the game itself and more about who is likely to be on the field trying to handle him.
Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are not the issue here. They’re All-Pros, and there’s no real reason to think they need this kind of stress test.
Riq Woolen is a new starter who has been solid through OTAs and training camp, though it’s unclear whether any of those three will even suit up for the Ravens game. The safer bet is that they won’t.
That leaves the depth chart to absorb the blow, and that’s where the questions start.
The Eagles’ backup corner group that could be asked to deal with Lane includes Jonathan Jones, Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett, and Mac McWilliams. And that quartet comes with plenty of uncertainty.
Ringo is the name Eagles fans know best, and not always for the right reasons. At 6-foot-4, he has the build of a corner who should make life difficult for receivers, but last season he put up a Pro Football Focus grade of 55.3, which ranked 86th out of 114 NFL corners. He also allowed 15 yards per reception, which is the sort of number that leaves a lasting impression for the wrong reasons.
Jones brings a different profile. He’s a veteran with a long track record of starts, and the Eagles are hoping that experience shows up if he’s needed. Last season with the Washington Commanders, he allowed a 60.5% completion percentage.
Bennett was acquired by the Eagles last season with the idea that he might be able to claim the CB2 job if Ringo and Adoree' Jackson couldn’t hold it down. That never came together, thanks to injuries and uneven play, but a strong camp has at least helped his case.
McWilliams is the least proven of the group. The Eagles took him in the fifth round last year, and he has barely had a chance to get on the field. He played in just five games in 2025, though he did avoid giving up a catch on two targets, which gives him something to build on.
That combination of inexperience, inconsistency, and unresolved roles makes this more than just a routine preseason matchup for Philadelphia. If Lane really has been as sharp as the reports say, the Eagles’ reserve corners will get tested early and often.
And if they struggle against a rookie, that’s a problem that reaches beyond one August game.
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He had been serving an 18-month federal sentence tied to COVID-related fraud, along with a concurrent state sentence for gun possession, before the court allowed him to leave. The case also took a procedural turn after a motion to withdraw his guilty plea followed a recent appeals court ruling involving New Jerseys assault weapons ban, adding another layer to an already difficult situation that now centers on his daughters condition. [Read more 🡒]