Eli Apple may not have lived up to the hype of a former top-10 pick, but he’s one season away from a decade in the NFL.
The veteran cornerback sat down with ReadWrite for a wide-ranging Q&A, which includes his thoughts on a Chargers reunion, Justin Herbert’s arm strength, if the Bengals broke up their defensive core too soon, any regrets with the Giants, his roots in Ghana and more.
Q: What’s your daily routine like? I’d assume you are working out and hanging tight?
Eli Apple: “Daily routine is really just workouts in the morning or afternoon, and then come back. I’ve got a baby girl that’s two months, so come back and spend time with her and my wife. Care after her, run errands, go shopping, go to the park and walk around. Do anything we can to get some fresh air.”
Q: And from a physical standpoint, I know you got back to playing after you went on injured reserve. So at this point you feel like you’re 100% with the hamstring and everything else?
Eli Apple: “Yeah, I feel great. I feel great. Training has been great, and I’ve been able to really push myself and continue to make gains and continue to just become a better athlete every week. Always looking for more and more every year.”
Q: Have teams showed interest, or do you think it’ll be more after the draft, once they’re kind of figuring out what their needs are?
Eli Apple: “Teams have inquired and reached out, but my expectation will be for after the draft to really feel teams’ temperatures and see what they’re thinking. My goal is to just be on a team by training camp, and continue to just put myself out there to compete. And to go somewhere and enhance their secondary and their team. Be a leader there, somebody that the younger guys can ask questions and learn from.”
Q: Have certain teams shown the most interest so far?
Eli Apple: “A few teams here and there reached out, but I don’t want to put any names out there and jinx it. But yeah, it was like that last year too, and it went a little bit past the season beginning and training camp. So I had to really be patient and continue to train and stay in shape as best I could. And I think I did a pretty good job of that and being ready.”
Q: I know you’ve been in the league a while, but you’re still only 29, which is in that physical peak range. Do you feel like you can still be a starting corner in the league?
Eli Apple: “Oh, no doubt. 100%. I feel like the older you get, the wiser you get, and you know what your body needs to be at that peak form. You know how recovery and everything is. When you’re younger, you’re kind of just skating by. You’re paying attention to stuff like that, but you know you don’t really know the full extent. I’ve gotten to a point where I got a pretty good routine.
“I feel like I can still play at a high level, and know for a fact that I’m the same athlete I always was. And I think the older I get, I feel like, the quicker I can pick up things now. Whatever team I go on, whatever system I’m in, I can pick up any defense., I’ve really grown to become versatile in my approach and learning different positions here and there. I’ve always been outside corner, but I know anywhere I go, I can play any position in the secondary.”
Q: Did you have to come to terms with that at all? Meaning like – huge recruit, Top-10 pick, and the ideal is probably to be a shutdown outside corner. But at some point did you have to say: If I want to prolong my career, I need to be versatile and be able to do whatever they ask of me.
Eli Apple: “Not really. I mean, from when I first got to the league, it was always outside corner. They moved me a little bit inside, but when I got drafted the Giants, that role was reserved for DRC and a few other guys, and they kind of just kept me outside. Since then, I’ve always been either left or right corner.
“But the more I research and the more I watch film on the inside position, it’s ideal. Everybody knows it’s like another linebacker, kind of, but also you get your opportunities to play a lot more zone first and second downs, and you can have your eyes back at the quarterback and manipulate him a little bit more, as opposed to being outside. You can do the same outside, but I think it’s a little easier because you’re closer to the quarterback.”
Q: So did you play any slot last year or the last couple years?
Eli Apple: “No, I’ve been outside my whole career.”
Q: OK, so you’re just watching film and feel like this can work for my skill-set?
Eli Apple: “Yeah, no doubt. You do drills during the offseason. I make sure I always do drops and quarter-flat drops or anything that you would do in a slot, to always have that muscle memory, just in case. So, yeah. Everything else is just football.”
Q: We talked about you potentially signing after the draft, when depth charts settle. Are you looking at rosters, or do you let your agent handle all the business?
Eli Apple: “I always keep my ear to the ground. I’m a big football fan first, and then I always put myself in there, like, ‘Oh, could they need a veteran presence? If they’ve got a lot of young guys, that would be a more appealing position and role for me. So, yeah, I kind of go through it and look to see. It’s something me and my agent, we talk about, and I’ll text him sometimes, ‘Oh, this team made this move, and this team made that move.’”
Q: How would you recap last year with the Chargers once you got over there?
Eli Apple: “It was interesting, for sure, getting over there in the middle of the season, getting there like towards the end of October. I learned a lot. It was a blessing to be in a great locker room like we were in, with a lot of great leaders there. And I know they’re trending upward. Coach Harbaugh was phenomenal his first year there, and he really built that culture that you need to sustain wins throughout a period of time. I think they’re going to be great.
“In the secondary, they have a lot of great young guys there. Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart, they really, really stepped up. And that was like from the moment I got there. They made their first start in that Denver game, and I watched, and I was like, ‘Wow, they came into this league ready.’ And you see that every day in practice. See how they prepare, how they were getting coached and getting pushed to become starting corners on the outside. So yeah, they have a great team, and I’m excited to see what their future holds, too.”
Q: Do you think there’s a possibility you can go back there?
Eli Apple: “Anything’s possible. I’m not going to rule out anything. That would be nice. I know they made some moves at corner and brought in a couple other guys too, but, like, I always say, ‘You can never have enough corners.’ I think anything’s possible. You never know.”
Q: You have played for a lot of coaches in your career. You praised Harbaugh there, and I’m wondering at this point in your career if you can tell pretty quickly when a coach has a team going in the right direction.
Eli Apple: “Yeah, you definitely see that, just being in the locker room, hearing how guys talk about the coach and how guys talk about the schedule and a routine of how every day is. There’s nothing but positive feedback there. And Coach, of course, everybody knows Harbaugh has a history of being a high-level coach wherever he’s been at. He knows what is best to get the best out of his players and out of his guys, especially with the science that they put in for keeping guys fresh. And yeah, I like it. I like it a lot, and it works. It definitely does.”
Q: I wanted to talk to you about Joey Bosa, who you played with at Ohio State and now again all these years later. He’s had injuries. Is he a guy that still has that juice, that can make a big impact in Buffalo?
Eli Apple: “Joey’s always been that raw talent individual out there, somebody that’s going to always be able to wreak havoc in the backfield, as long as he’s out there and he’s healthy. I thought I saw him play really well last year, especially when I got there and was close-up to see it. When I first got there, he was coming off his leg injury, and once he got on the field, and once he was able to increase his snap count, his production increased, like it always does.
“I know he has a lot more juice in him, and I think he’s going to go and be a real big piece of Buffalo’s defense. He’s going to be a great leader there. He was a lot more vocal when I saw him this year in LA. He was a big vocal piece to the defense, during the meetings and during the days leading up to the game. He’d be that main guy, talking and giving us good inspiration. So, yeah, I thought he had a great year, and all he has to do is stay healthy to be that same guy.”
Q: When you look back at your Giants tenure, do you wish it would have gone differently?
Eli Apple: “I mean, of course, yeah. You wish you would have handled things differently. But I think the beauty of everything is not having regret, but learning from those mistakes and knowing you had to go through that to become who you are. I say that a lot. And I don’t really have any regrets, honestly. I think everything happened for a reason. I’m very thankful to get drafted by the Giants and get that opportunity. That was amazing.
“I learned a lot throughout that time about myself. I learned a lot about the people close to me, and I needed to go through what I went through to be where I am now, so I don’t have any regrets at all. We had a great team our rookie year, and then kind of went downhill from there, and we never really regained that momentum that we had. But even me as a player too, I thought I played well my rookie year, and then the second year wasn’t what I needed. I didn’t start off the way I needed to, and then I ended up getting better, getting back in my groove towards the middle of the season. And the third season, I thought I started off well, but we were kind of already past what the expectation they had for me. So they ended up getting rid of me, and from there, I have love for them anyway, because I ended up going to a great team in New Orleans and learning a lot about myself, a lot about winning, and then going from there to Cincinnati.”
Q: Being an East Coast guy, do you think it helped from a maturity standpoint to go to New Orleans, where it was kind of an unfamiliar setting? Can you compare and contrast what it was like in New York and New Orleans?
Eli Apple: “Oh, it was a lot different. When I was in New York, I had a lot of family close by. That’s a good thing, but it can be a bad thing. It can be a distraction or it can be a blessing having that support, having friends close. Going to New Orleans, it was strictly football as soon as I got there. I didn’t have to worry about any family members calling or pulling up. I was just able to put a laser focus on football, learning the playbook as fast as possible and continuing to grow. That was a blessing, honestly.
“Being a young guy coming in, you try to balance everything, and you try to play Superman. Sometimes it’s tough. You have to leave people where they are, because you can’t save everybody. That was my mistake, trying to do too much. And then a lot of stuff with my family ended up becoming public, and it unraveled. It played with my peace, played with my emotions. I think that ended up carrying out onto the field, not being able to focus. New Orleans was a great reset, and the love I got there was something I’ll always appreciate.”
Q: When the trade happened it may have been chaotic. Was there a point a month or two later when you realized it was a good thing?
Eli Apple: “Chaotic is what I knew from being in the media storm of New York. So when I got to New Orleans, the media wasn’t as ruthless when I got out there. It was more calm for me. I was leaving a tornado, and I was coming into more of a family, more of a group of people that had more love and appreciation for what I brought to the table.”
Q: You acknowledged that you had some faults in New York. Was there anything misconstrued? Was there anything that rubbed you the wrong way because of how it was presented?
Eli Apple: “Honestly, no. I don’t really try to spend too much time reading about everything that happened. I don’t try to look backwards and see what people are talking about. At that time, I was such a young, hot headed kid, and at different points I was feeling like a lot of the blame on how the season was going was kind of towards me. That was something I didn’t appreciate, and I was kind of defending myself a lot in those meetings. Outbursts happened. But it is what it is. It happened that way, and from there I grew.”
Q: Looking at the Bengals, they re-signed their stars but the defense has dropped off a bit. Do you think they made too many changes defensively? Obviously there are salary cap implications and other factors, but do you think they should have tried to keep you guys together longer?
Eli Apple: “Yeah, but like you said, it’s the business. Contracts are a big part of those business decisions. And of course, as a defense, it sounds good, you want to keep everybody when you have success with certain guys around. Of course you want to be like, ‘Let’s run it back.’ We had the opportunity after we went to the Super Bowl, and we were able to go right back to the AFC Championship and have a chance to go to the Super Bowl again. That following year, you want that. You want that challenge as a group of brothers, and when you build that bond of winning and being together, of course you want that. But it’s a business, and we’re all mature enough to understand decisions have to be made. There are different priorities in which guys get paid.
“I do know we would have been very successful, if you kept that same core. The Jessie Bates and DJ Readers of the world, if they kept those guys, I think we would have been running it right back. But things happen the way they happen for a reason in life, and those guys are still very successful players and doing great things right now. And the Bengals as a defense, they’re young and they’re hungry, and they have a lot of talent. It’s just about molding that talent and putting it together into something where they can support Joe (Burrow).”
Q: You mentioned Joe. Just going through the quarterbacks that you’ve been with – Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Joe, Tua, and now Justin Herbert. You’ve played with a lot of star quarterbacks, and this is probably a hard question, but did someone really stand out among them?
Eli Apple: “They all do. They all have their talents, and I’m a quarterback aficionado, because I played a little bit back in the day, so I understand the tough responsibilities a quarterback is presented with.
“This past year, Herbert has the most impressive arm I’ve ever seen and been able to watch up close. The way the ball comes out of his hand is nothing short of amazing. Anytime we had a little break period, I would always find myself drifting towards the quarterbacks and receivers when they’re doing their routes on air, just so I can see it up close and be like, ‘Damn. That’s how the ball comes out?’ I gotta be this much faster on my breaks to get to those in-breakers and those out-breakers that he’s throwing. It was just incredible zip. So yeah, from arm talent, Herbert definitely opened my eyes.
“Anticipation-wise, Tua is the best I’ve seen. He’s able to get the ball out before the receiver breaks, and manipulates the defense with his eyes. He’s very quick through his progressions. He’s very impressive. And then Joe has everything. Poise and pocket awareness and being able to move around and get the ball out. He plays with a grit and toughness that is very admirable. And he lays his body on the line. He’s not gonna slide at all too much when he runs, and he’s gonna always buy that time to get the ball out.
“Drew Brees, to me, top-five all-time. And it’s because of his intellect and being able to know where everybody is, and being able to get the ball out quick. Eli Manning, same way. So I’ve been blessed honestly, to learn and be able to be close and watch all those guys play.”
Q: Jumping around to left field here. You lived in Ghana for a couple years when you were younger?
Eli Apple: “Yeah, Ghana and Ivory Coast.”
Q: How long were you there?
Eli Apple: “I was there roughly, for like, six years. Moved there at four months old and was there until like, kindergarten, six or seven. Then came back and spent some time in Brooklyn, and then went from Brooklyn to Philly, and then Philly to New Jersey.”
Q: How much does it mean to you having those Ghanaian roots?
Eli Apple: “It means a lot. I have a lot of family still in Ghana. I actually had a chance to get out there last summer for my mom’s 50th birthday. She moved out there a couple years ago. She’s loving it, and it was great for me to get out there and reconnect with a lot of family members that I haven’t seen since I was five or six – a lot of uncles and aunties who basically helped nurture me and raise me while my mom was still in college getting her master’s degree, and wasn’t able to be there at that time.
“I’m very thankful for my time there, and very appreciative of everything. The memories I have, the pictures I have, and being able to still have an outlet out there. I know I’m definitely going to go back and visit a lot more, maybe in the summer coming up. I have a lot of people out there that mean a lot to me, and reppin’ Ghana going forward is definitely something I want to continue to do. I know with the Olympics coming up, there’s been a lot of talk about that going on and having Ghana be a country that’s well-represented with the best players. I’ve been in talks with the guys from the country.”
Q: So you’d definitely play for them in the Olympics? That would be in 2028?
Eli Apple: “Yeah, yeah. And I believe it’s in L.A., too.”
Q: When you go out there, do the kids know the NFL or follow the NFL? I’m wondering if they think it’s cool that you’re an NFL player.
Eli Apple: “For the most part, when I went out there, I was just another guy, basically, and that’s the way I prefer it, to be honest. It was cool. I don’t know what the presence of the NFL is there. There’s still NFL jerseys here and there, maybe in some places, but I know soccer is probably more the preferred sport. I know there’s camps in Ghana and Nigeria. Guys run those camps, and maybe those are the better places to learn what football means more out there, but I haven’t had that chance to be out there. I know there’s a lot coming up too, and I’m itching to get out there, but kind of got some priorities out here too.”
Q: Could you see yourself being a sports analyst when your career ends? A lot of players have gone on to ESPN or other places.
Eli Apple: “Yeah. I love football. I love the game. I could talk about it forever. I find myself during workouts with guys who also play, we’re always getting in debates about just anything football-related, or even basketball, you know, sports in general. So, yeah, I mean, why not? Right? That would be cool. A lot of my friends from the NFL have gone to do that. It’s very popular thing to do. I could see it potentially, for sure. That would be nice. We’ll see, though.”
Q: And just looking at Ohio State. Devin Sanchez is a young kid who’s coming in like you, a five star corner. Do you have advice for him?
Eli Apple: “They have a lot of great talent at that position. And he’s a young guy that has a lot of promise. Jermaine Matthews, as well, is another guy. I keep track, keep my tabs on them. And it’s fun to watch them play. For Devin, I would just say – and for all of them, honestly – continue to lean on your coaches and continue to do the extra work, continue to learn all the ins and out of how to become a better corner. Learn all the techniques that you need to learn, press techniques, footwork, and just continue to rep everything you know, before practice after practice. Get on those JUGGS machines for sure, think like a receiver so you can get that ball and continue just putting out work in the weight room. They have such great resources out there. Nobody has it better.
“He has a great corner coach in Tim Walton. Shout out to coach Walt. He was with me with the Giants, and he saw me go through a lot of growing. He was somebody I had to lean on a lot. We got into our squabbles as well, but I learned a lot from his direction. He can do a lot with Devin, helping him a lot. And he’s already done a lot there. He was big in the way they were able to win the championship last year. So that would be my advice. Just continue to grow every way and get those reps in and continue to be locked in.”
Q: Sports betting has become so ingrained in football. Did you have more people in your mentions mad about the results because that they had money on the line? Is the vitriol different from 10 years ago?
Eli Apple: “I don’t know. For me, I think fantasy football was already something that was a big deal when it came to money. People have money on fantasy football games. So yeah, you get like, those messages about that. But me being a defensive guy, I didn’t really get too much heat. The sports betting is a little different for offense, because people will bet on different players to have a certain amount of yards or certain touchdowns, or being the first to score, or whatever. They bet on everything.
“You see that, but it’s been a part of the game now. It’s even talked about a lot on ESPN, which has certain shows just for giving good sport bet advice. So no, I mean, it’s definitely changed. I think it adds a little bit more interest. Adds another outside audience. You know, people that aren’t really that much into sports can still be into the sports, just because of they might gain a little extra something, just off of luck. You know, it’s interesting.”
Q: You seem pretty understanding about it. Does it ever feel dehumanizing when people are upset about players not posting certain numbers?
Eli Apple: “Oh, no doubt. Fantasy football already has done that, and then sports betting took it to a whole nother level. So it’s crazy. And a lot of guys, you know, they’re just doing their job. When you go into a week, certain team might have a lot more attention on certain guys. And, yeah, never know. So sometimes certain guys don’t get the targets that they want, and I know that makes fans upset. So I know quarterbacks get that screw scrutiny as well. I don’t understand those fans that take the time out of their day to just go at guys and be in their comments and mentions.”
