Isaiah Rodgers details his broken hand and plan for return

Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers had waited well over a year for his return to game action, so what was another week?

After missing the entire 2023 season, Rodgers’ long wait became a little longer when he was ruled out of Week 1 with a hand injury. 

But Rodgers took it in stride.

“It wasn’t really that mentally draining for me,” Rodgers said. “I’ve been through worse things in my life. It was definitely hard, of course, to take a break like that. I’m still grateful and great to see the guys win.”

After missing the Eagles’ season opener in Brazil, Rodgers on Thursday afternoon revealed that he suffered a broken right hand on the last day at training camp and needed surgery to repair it.

Rodgers said the injury happened when he was inadvertently punched on his hand during practice.

“It wasn’t a moment where you can see from the sideline, ‘Oh Isaiah got hurt,’” Rodgers said. “I didn’t even know it was broken until a few plays later.”

Last week, the Eagles actually brought Rodgers with them to Brazil and he was a limited participant in practice before being ruled out the day before the game.

How close was Rodgers to playing?

“I was definitely close,” he said. “I think it was more of my decision. It was a business decision. You’d rather go out there and be 100 percent than go out there and just go through the motions and put the team at risk. I’d rather go out there and actually make plays and be confident in myself.”

Rodgers, 26, said he’s trending toward playing on Monday night in the Eagles’ home opener. Rodgers practiced again on Thursday and was a full participant but the team wants to see how he handles the week of practice. The goal is for him to make his 2024 debut against the Falcons.

If Rodgers does play on Monday night, he’ll need to wear a protective cast on his right hand. He’s not too worried about playing with it.

“Nah, not really,” he said. “I did it before in college. Got two interceptions in a game where I did wear a club so I’m not really thinking about that.”

Without Rodgers in the opener, the Eagles started rookie Quinyon Mitchell at outside cornerback opposite Darius Slay and played Avonte Maddox in the slot. Based on how well Mitchell performed, there’s a chance he just simply won’t leave the field again.

But Rodgers isn’t worried about that.

“Hell no. I’m just grateful,” said Rodgers, who missed the entire 2023 season while suspended for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. “I was home so I’m appreciative of the moment. I don’t care if I’m here on the bench. I’m happy to be here. It’s better than being on the couch. That’s my main thing.”

During the summer, Rodgers was primarily running as the top outside cornerback opposite Slay, while Mitchell played the slot. Late in camp, Mitchell pulled double duty as the outside corner in base and the slot corner on nickel downs, which gave Rodgers a chance to get on the field.

Even if Rodgers isn’t a starter going forward, he’ll still be active on game days. He’ll be a backup and special teams contributor.

He’ll also be cheering loudly for the rookie Mitchell.

“He played good,” Rodgers said. “Everyone was telling him, ‘You’re career starts today.’ I was telling him it’s not about your career, it’s about your legacy. Your career ends when you’re done playing. Your legacy goes on forever. I told him to focus on his legacy and he did that.”

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