Eagles Isaiah Rodgers Wants To Make Up For Lost Time; Will Nick Sirianni Let Him?

It's been nearly two years since the Eagles cornerback has played a game, but will he and other starters be allowed in the preseason opener vs. the Ravens?

Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers at the team's open practice at Lincoln Finacial Field on Aug. 1, 2024. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – The last NFL game Isaiah Rodgers played was on Dec. 26, 2022. He was on the field for just 14 snaps - 10 on defense, four on special teams for the Indianapolis Colts in a 20-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Now with the Eagles, the cornerback wants to make up for lost time.

Maybe he can start doing that Friday night in Baltimore when the Eagles play the Ravens in the preseason opener.

“I wanna play the whole game,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s possible, but if I can, I will because I think the coaches want to see, too, where I’m at and just finally running out of the tunnel and playing a game.”

Asked what he would like to accomplish if he did play, Rodgers responded: “I want a pick six, a kick return, I want everything.”

Rodgers missed all of last season whiile serving a suspension for violating the league's gambling policy.

Predictably, Nick Sirianni did not reveal who would play in his final pregame meeting with the media on Wednesday. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was more open about it. Baltimore’s coach said his starters would play at some point in the preseason, but not necessarily in Friday night’s game.

Weather could be a factor. Tropical Storm Debby is afoot, and it could unload several inches of rain along the eastern seaboard.

“We're ready to go and go play,” said Sirianni. “We'll see what happens. Those are things that are out of our control. We'll play. If they say we play, we play. If they say we don't, we don't. We'll see how it goes. We'll monitor it.”

Eagles rookie offensive lineman Trevor Keegan is "excited" about playing his first NFL preseason game. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Rookie fifth-round offensive lineman Trevor Keegan will play, presumably. And the Michigan product can’t wait. Earlier in the week, he turned to backup right tackle Fred Johnson, who will also likely play, that he couldn’t wait to play in his first NFL game, even if it doesn’t count in the standings.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I told Fred in the locker room, ‘Dude, we play a game in five days, that’s pretty cool.’ I’m excited. I even got a little emotional going over to the stadium (on Thursday night). I was like, ‘Holy (bleep), this is it.’ It was pretty cool.”

Sirianni said that every year is different. In 2021, he played his starters for one or two series in the first game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The plan, he said, was to play the starters in a second game, but didn’t do that, but couldn’t recall why.

In 2022, the coach played his starters for one drive, when Jalen Hurts engineered a touchdown drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert. It was a good start on the road that ended in Super Bowl LVII. Last year, the starters didn’t play at all.

“Everything is a little bit different based off of when you play, how many practices you've had before the game, all those different things,” said Sirianni. “So, everything is taken into account. You have some general philosophies of what you think, but you have general philosophies for a lot of things, but those are constantly changing and evolving.”

Zack Baun is used to playing exhibition snaps as he tried to establish himself in four years with the New Orleans Saints. He has worked primarily as the starting off-ball one of the Eagles’ starters opposite Devin White during Eagles training camp.

“Absolutely,” was his response when asked if he wants to play in the preseason. “That’s the first time we get to play real football. Out here (at practice), we’re wrapping up and we’re being physical and stuff, but that’s real football. I always think that’s a big advantage every time you get those reps under your belt.”

Maybe Sirianni will let them get those reps, if not Friday in Baltimore, perhaps in the second preseason game in Foxborough against the New England Patriots next week.

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