NFL reinstates Eagles’ Isaiah Rodgers from gambling suspension: Why ex-Colt could be Philly’s secret weapon

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 reinstating Isaiah Rodgers from an indefinite suspension over violations of the league’s sports gambling policy.

Rodgers, 26, was originally suspended last summer, then quickly released by the Indianapolis Colts. The Eagles signed him in August, just before the start of the season, even amid 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 something of a secret weapon for Philadelphia in 2024.

A year out of NFL action means Rodgers isn’t a slam dunk for a top job, but on an Eagles team in relatively dire need of both short- and long-term secondary help, there is a clear path to a sizable role. It helps that Rodgers was quietly considered one of the top up-and-coming multipurpose defenders before his suspension.

Although smaller (5-10, 170), the UMass product came out of college with “blazing closing speed” and quickly applied it on special teams, ranking third in the NFL with 28.8 yards per kick return as a rookie in 2020, while scoring on a 101-yard run-back. The following year, Rodgers logged three interceptions and seven pass breakups despite taking just 48% of the team’s defensive snaps. Finally elevated to 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 at safety, once insisted to reporters that Rodgers “needs to be on the field” because of his playmaking traits, and now, reinstated for the Eagles, it’s not hard to envision Philly teammates saying the same. 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 is prioritizing the return of a meaningful kickoff play, Rodgers could also enter 2024 as the favorite to handle Philly’s return duties, giving the team a built-in speedster at an abruptly important position.

Does Rodgers’ official return to NFL eligibility mean the Eagles will shy away from an early-round investment at corner in this week’s draft? Probably not. But it at least gives them another fallback plan — and a high-upside one, at that.