Two days before the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have already added a new young prospect, with the NFL on Tuesday. reinstate Isaiah Rodgers an indefinite suspension for violating the league’s sports betting policy.
Rodgers, 26, was initially suspended last summer, then quickly released by the Indianapolis Colts. The Eagles signed him in August, just before the season started, even in the midst of his ban for allegedly betting on NFL games, including his own.
NOW? It’s not a stretch to suggest the former Colts cornerback could be a secret weapon for Philadelphia in 2024.
A year without NFL action means Rodgers isn’t a slam dunk for a top job, but on an Eagles team that’s relatively badly in need of short- and long-term secondary help, there’s a clear path to an important role. It helps that Rodgers was quietly considered one of the best up-and-coming all-around defenders before his suspension.
Although smaller (5-10, 170), the UMass product came out of college with “blazing closing speed” and quickly applied it to special teams, ranking third in the NFL with 28.8 yards by kick return as a rookie in 2020, while scoring. on a 101-yard running back. The following year, Rodgers recorded three interceptions and seven assists despite taking just 48 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Eventually elevated to a part-time starter in 2022, he stayed around the ball with four fumble recoveries and allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete just 58.6% of throws when targeted.
Julian Blackmon, the Colts’ 2023 breakout safety, once insisted to reporters that Rodgers “needs to be on the field” because of his playmaking skills, and now, reinstated for the Eagles, it’s not hard to imagine his Philly teammates saying the same thing. With Darius Slay Jr. and James Bradberry aging at cornerback, Rodgers offers both youth and experience on the outside. But in a year where the NFL prioritizes a meaningful kickoff return, Rodgers could also enter 2024 as the favorite to handle Philly’s return duties, giving the team a built-in speedster at a suddenly important position.
Does Rodgers’ official return to NFL eligibility mean the Eagles will be hesitant to make an early investment in this week’s draft? Probably not. But it at least gives them another fallback plan – and a very promising one, at that.
