Eagles Rodney McLeod Healthy Again and Making an Impact

The Safety Suffered his First Serious Injury Last Year, Making for an Emotional Return this Season
USA Today

Rodney McLeod talks about how he has played so far this year and the play he made during one of the Eagles' goal line stands in Green Bay.
Ed Kracz

As the National Anthem played in the Eagles’ season opener against the Washington Redskins, safety Rodney McLeod was overcome with emotion on the home sideline at Lincoln Financial Field.

“Definitely shed some tears,” said McLeod, “just reflecting on everything I went through, what it took to get back to that point in time. It was very emotional. Every game is emotional for me, just because I know what it took to get here. I don’t take it for granted.”

On Sept. 23 last year, McLeod’s season ended with a knee injury against the Indianapolis Colts in the third game of the season.

Missing games due to injury was foreign to McLeod. Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent from the University of Virginia – undrafted because he was considered undersized at 5-10, 195 pounds – he had played in 94 of a possible 96 NFL games.

He learned quickly that you can’t feel sorry for yourself.

“You have to have a positive mindset,” said McLeod. “I kind of just focus on the future, being present. You dwell in the past you can never move forward, so that was kind of the mindset. The injury, I wish it didn’t happen, but it did. It’s unfortunate, but I had to move on, put it behind me and focus on the rehab and everything moving forward.”

McLeod has moved forward without missing a beat, as he gets ready to face the New York Jets on Sunday.

He has played every snap in the Eagles’ first four games and is second on the team in tackles with 26, one behind Malcolm Jenkins.

“I feel like I’ve played well,” said McLeod. “I would like a few plays back, but pretty much being consistent, trying to make sure I’m focused, paying attention to detail, making sure my technique is right each and every play considering my injury, just really doing the little things throughout the week to make sure I’m ready for Sunday.”

McLeod made one of the hallmark plays in Green Bay in last week’s win over the Packers.

During the Eagles’ second of two goal line stands in the fourth quarter, McLeod prevented Aaron Rodgers from walking into the end zone by coming up to play the Green bay quarterback rather than go out in coverage.

“We talked about it all the week the possibility of Aaron Rodgers keeping that ball and wouldn’t you know, it shows up,” said McLeod. “They tipped it off a little bit, the running back depth and the positioning of (tight end) Jimmy Graham out there kind of raised my antennas to kind of get out there. Glad I was there to make that play.”

Barring any health setbacks, it won’t be the last play McLeod makes this season.


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Ed Kracz
ED KRACZ

Ed Kracz has been covering the Eagles full-time for over a decade and has written about Philadelphia sports since 1996. He wrote about the Phillies in the 2008 and 2009 World Series, the Flyers in their 2010 Stanely Cup playoff run to the finals, and was in Minnesota when the Eagles secured their first-ever Super Bowl win in 2017. Ed has received multiple writing awards as a sports journalist, including several top-five finishes in the Associated Press Sports Editors awards.