How Isaiah Rodgers came back better than ever after 512-day layoff

How Isaiah Rodgers came back better than ever after 512-day layoff originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

He didn’t have a team. He didn’t have a coach. He didn’t have teammates. 

But he could pretend.

So during his 512-day absence from football – from late in the 2022 season with the Colts until the start of OTAs last week with the Eagles – he spent his days away from the game down in Tampa doing exactly what he’d be doing if he was still with a team.

“I just kept my schedule as if I was still playing,” Isaiah Rodgers said. “On Sundays I used it like a game day so I’d do cardio and things like that. I’d take Tuesdays off as if I was still playing. So I kind of still stayed with the NFL schedule and just continued to work and just prepare for these moments.”

Rodgers spoke with Philly media Thursday for the first time since he signed with the Eagles in August soon after being suspended for a year for violating the NFL’s gambling policy and getting released by the Colts.

You never want to get carried away with a couple spring no-pads practices, but it’s kind of shocking just how good Rodgers looks so far. He’s made plays at both practices, sure, but it’s really the lack of rust that’s been so glaring.

Until these practices, he hadn’t been on a football field since Dec. 26, 2022. It’s now May 31, 2024.

“I think it’s a mindset,” he said. “You know, I envisioned, every time I worked out, I envisioned the A.J. Browns and the DeVonta Smiths in front of me, so I think I just kind of locked in during my training and just knowing that when I actually do get back there’s going to be great receivers in front of me.”

Whatever he did, it worked.

It’s way too early to start breaking down the depth chart – a depth chart that pretty clearly won’t include James Bradberry – but Rodgers has come in and earned first-team reps off from the jump and while that’s with Darius Slay sitting out practice Thursday, it speaks volumes that…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/isaiah-rodgers-came-back-better-122632373.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-05-31 12:26:32

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