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Meet the Moms: Inside the ‘sisterhood’ that supports the rise of the Eagles’ homegrown Philly Dawgs defense

The mothers of former Georgia Bulldogs have seen their sons Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Kelee Ringo, and Nolan Smith form the nucleus of the NFL's top defense and reach the Super Bowl.

Tralee Hale-Ringo, mother of Eagle Kelee Ringo, arrives at a tailgate party in the parking lots at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 19 as the Eagles play the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC divisional playoff game.
Tralee Hale-Ringo, mother of Eagle Kelee Ringo, arrives at a tailgate party in the parking lots at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 19 as the Eagles play the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC divisional playoff game.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

As the smoke from a barrage of fireworks and a steady stream of confetti descended upon Lincoln Financial Field, Nolan Smith’s mother pointed her phone toward the sky.

The deafening drone of the Eagles fight song kept Chakeima Bigham from hearing anything in a FaceTime call with Nakobe Dean’s mother, Neketta, but she wanted her unofficial sister to feel like the confetti was falling on her from 3,000 miles away after the Eagles clinched a spot in Super Bowl LIX.

“It was just like she was still there with us,” Bigham said. “It was amazing. We were so happy. We all shed a tear, but like we told her, we will see her in New Orleans.”

The moment was one of the several FaceTime calls that tethered the Deans to the rest of the group they consider family, the five Eagles draft picks from the University of Georgia and their mothers, aptly nicknamed “Moms on the Move.”

The first call came to Neketta midway through the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ blowout win over the Washington Commanders and was followed by a bevy of text messages in the moms’ group chat any time Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Kelee Ringo, or Smith made the types of plays that helped them gain notoriety at Georgia.

Nolan 🔥🔥🔥

Jordan💥💥💥

Throughout the last couple of seasons, the five former Georgia standouts have often referred to one another as brothers, pointing to the strong bond they share on and off the field as a result of years spent together. Dean and Smith were roommates and engineering students who met on the recruiting trail. Ringo and Carter also met when they were high schoolers on a recruiting visit to Athens, Ga., with their mothers, Tralee Hale-Ringo and Tonique Brown, in attendance as well.

» READ MORE: Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo’s mom got her stolen dog back

Beyond the years that have bound them together are the moms — the other side of an unexpected family now heading to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX.

“Blood couldn’t make us any closer,” Ringo said. “Knowing that you have that bond, knowing you’re working with someone that’s like your brother, just like anyone else in this locker room, it’s a really good feeling.”

Bigham added: “It’s like a sisterhood. We’ve just formed a mama’s love. If I can’t be there, another mom will step in and make sure that our guys are all good and all right. … It’s like they’re all our kids.”

‘Eagle moms’

During their first year as roommates, Smith and Dean would rehash an argument sometimes overheard by their mothers in their dorm room.

Smith, who’s from Savannah, Ga., quick to put his Southern bona fides up against Dean’s Horn Lake, Miss., roots. The arguments would devolve into who was “the countriest” among them, until Dean finally pulled out Neketta’s spaghetti and fried fish recipe one day to test Smith’s mettle.

“Nakobe was like, ‘Let’s see how country you really are,’” Bigham said. “They were in there fussing. Nolan is like, ‘Yeah, I want the spaghetti, but I don’t want it with no fish. I don’t want no fried fish.’ So I think Nakobe and Neketta won. They’re the countriest because when I cook my spaghetti, I have it with garlic bread. I don’t have no fish.”

» READ MORE: Military veterans impacted Nakobe Dean, and the Eagles rookie is giving back through community service

Those early moments have led to an almost telepathic connection between Dean and Smith, which is apparent among each of the former Georgia standouts. Dean was a third-round pick in 2022, taken after Eagles general manager Howie Roseman began his run on Georgia players by selecting Davis with the 13th overall pick that year.

» READ MORE: Some super Eagles question marks: Sirianni vs. Reid; Roman numeral nonsense; Nolan Smith for MVP?

Carter, Smith, and Ringo followed one year later, with the added benefit of Davis and Dean’s families already having adjusted to the area. While Eagles officials gave each family a tour of the NovaCare Complex, Bigham said Neketta and Davis’ mother, Shay Allen, were the ones to show them around the city and help them ease their transitions.

“It was a big relief,” Bigham said. “To know, from the brotherhood that they had and the sisterhood that we had coming from Georgia, that I knew if I was lost or couldn’t do something, that I could call on them and they had already been there and they have been through it. … They were some people I knew I could trust.”

Neketta added: “There’s nothing like going somewhere and already knowing somebody that you’re used to and that you can trust. Someone that you have friendship and great camaraderie with. That’s what’s we have. We already started as Dawg moms. Now, we’re Eagle moms.”

That trust has been apparent among their sons as well. Carter and Smith have combined for six sacks in the playoffs, often rushing next to each other. In a video released by the team, the second-year defensive tackle thanked Smith for trusting him on a stunt, leaving Smith astounded that Carter even felt the need to thank him in the first place.

“I think they have an unspoken language out there,” Neketta said. “They vibe together.”

» READ MORE: Inside Jalen Carter’s circle: How he's learning to be a pro after a turbulent path to the Eagles helped provide a fresh start

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts discussed “the bond that those Georgia guys have, and how they play. I think that that’s had a great influence on our defense because there’s always a confidence. There’s always an intensity there and swagger about themselves. I think that feeds through the whole defense.”

Even with their sons growing into prominent roles in the Eagles defense — Ringo is the lone member of the group yet to break into the starting defensive lineup, but even he has become a core special-teams player in his second season — Neketta said the moms still call their sons “men boys” because they still act like kids on occasion.

Jokes aside, they’ve grown up plenty in their new environments and even helped the “Moms on the Move” organize several charitable endeavors that included an event to gather food and clothing donations for families in need around Thanksgiving.

“It’s truly watching men develop from young boys to young men,” Neketta said. “You can see the growth in them all. The responsibility, the level of maturity, as it unfolds right there before you. It does your heart good because it negates some of the negativity and the stereotypes that are put out there about young Black men. They’re not all true.”

A surprise tribute

Neketta Dean isn’t a crier, but the last few weeks have tested her resolve.

Nakobe suffered a knee injury against the Green Bay Packers earlier this month, ending the most productive season of his career. Fittingly, Smith was the first player to check on him as he struggled to get to his feet in the second quarter of the 22-10 wild-card win.

One week later, after Neketta’s fellow “Eagle moms” had sent meals, flowers, and well wishes from afar, Smith brought her to tears. Emerging from the Eagles tunnel before the team’s divisional-round game against the Los Angeles Rams, the young edge rusher carried Dean’s jersey as a tribute to the man he considers a brother.

“Oh, God, I don’t cry easy, and I was in tears,” Neketta said. “You talk about brotherly love? It epitomized what brotherly love is. It epitomized ‘I got your back. I’m here for you.’ So it meant everything to me.”

Smith’s tribute proved to be the first of a handful during the Eagles’ postseason run. After the game, Smith told his mother the team’s 28-22 win over the Rams was dedicated to Dean, who finished the regular season second on the team with 128 total tackles in addition to three sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble.

The following week, moments before Bigham’s call to Neketta, Eagles head trainer Tom Hunkele found Eagles coach Nick Sirianni with Nakobe on FaceTime. In a video released by NBC Sports Philadelphia, Sirianni was shown letting out a visceral yell upon seeing the linebacker in Los Angeles after surgery.After Eagles players had finally retreated to the locker room, rookie edge rusher Jalyx Hunt carried a cell phone with Dean on FaceTime for the celebration as well.

“It made me happy to see him happy,” Neketta said. “I know more than anything he wants to be on the field. I know the hard work he’s put in to try to get there and to see some of his friends and teammates and especially some of his Georgia teammate buddies saying, ‘We’re going to win it for you, Kobe,’ it means everything. To see that confidence, that happiness on his face, as a mom, it just made my heart happy.”

The final tribute may lay ahead.

Even before the NFC championship game, Bigham said Neketta consistently told the group chat she’d see them in New Orleans. Midway through the fourth quarter, Neketta texted the group chat what they already knew.

“We’re going to the Super Bowl!”