After a yearlong suspension, Isaiah Rodgers isn’t taking his opportunity with the Eagles for granted

Every time Isaiah Rodgers worked out at home during his yearlong suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy, he envisioned the A.J. Browns and the DeVonta Smiths of the world lining up across from him.

The thought of covering some of the best receivers in the NFL kept the 26-year-old cornerback mentally sharp as he worked to stay in shape and prepared to join the Eagles for the 2024 season. In his fifth practice of organized team activities on Thursday, Rodgers was responsible for locking down the real Brown, not just the one he conjured up in his imagination.

The mentality that Rodgers developed during the layoff paid off — while playing left outside cornerback in seven-on-seven drills against the starting offense, Rodgers picked off a Jalen Hurts pass intended for Brown over the middle of the field and ran the ball a short distance into the end zone for a touchdown.

“It feels good,” Rodgers said. “It’s a blessing to be back, man. It feels real good.”

Rodgers has been back in action for over a month since his reinstatement and has not missed a beat, according to his teammates. Darius Slay has been impressed with Rodgers’ versatility to play on the outside or inside and his ability to make plays on the ball. Receiver Parris Campbell, his former teammate with the Indianapolis Colts, said he could tell that Rodgers stayed in shape in anticipation of his return to the NFL.

Campbell asked Rodgers about how he maintained his conditioning throughout an entire year away from an NFL facility. Rodgers said he constructed his schedule at his Tampa home to mimic the NFL season, with cardio-heavy workouts on Sundays to replace a game day and rest days on Tuesdays. He focused on his speed and his hands as he tried to improve his playmaking ability.

“I kind of still stayed with the NFL schedule and just continued to work and just prepared for these moments,” said Rodgers, who starred in college at Massachusetts.

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Those moments on the field aren’t taken for granted by Rodgers. The Tampa native was a member of the Colts when he was suspended for the 2023 season on June 28, 2023, for violating the league’s gambling policy. ESPN reported at the time that an online sportsbook account used by Rodgers had placed more than 100 bets, including at least one on a game involving the Colts.

After the league announced the suspensions of Rodgers and three other players, the Colts released him following three seasons with the team. Rodgers took “full responsibility” for his actions in a statement he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He did not stay on the market for long. The Eagles signed Rodgers to a one-year deal two months after the Colts cut him, giving him a chance to continue his career. Finding a new team early in his suspension helped Rodgers stay motivated as he eyed a comeback in 2024.

Rodgers said it was reassuring, “just knowing that they were a team that wanted me despite the whole entire suspension. Just knowing that I had a place that I can call home when the time came, and it’s now.”

Rodgers joins the Eagles secondary during a period of uncertainty regarding the starting duo on the outside. Slay, the 33-year-old who is going into his fifth season with the Eagles, is set to snag one of those jobs. James Bradberry is coming off a turbulent season, fueling skepticism surrounding his future on the team.

Neither Bradberry nor Slay was present at Thursday’s workout, the second and final voluntary session open to the media. For the last two practices open to outside observers, Rodgers held down a starting role on the outside. On May 22, he lined up alongside Slay, and on Thursday, Kelee Ringo was the other starting outside cornerback.

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As difficult as it was to be away from the game for a year, Rodgers said the hardest part of his suspension was his separation from an NFL locker room. Now, he’s relishing the camaraderie with his newfound teammates, whether he’s challenging Slay to a race or sharing his expertise with the new crop of rookie cornerbacks, including Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

“That brotherhood feeling and just understanding that I made a mistake and I did my time and just being back around a great team and a great culture of guys,” Rodgers said, “just finally getting in that locker room environment, back into my heart, it feels real good.”

His time spent at home during last season taught him that “the league doesn’t need anybody” — everyone is replaceable. In turn, Rodgers is cherishing this latest chapter as he works to prove he deserves a spot on the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster.

“It brought me closer to the game,” Rodgers said. “It made me actually not take this game for granted.”