Eagles Stay or Go 2025: Bring back Isaiah Rodgers?

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/eagles-stay-2025-bring-back-070000963.html

Eagles Stay or Go 2025: Bring back Isaiah Rodgers? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro bring back Stay or Go in 2025, trying to figure out the futures of every Eagles player on the roster.

We already took a look at quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end, interior offensive line, offensive tackle, specialists, edge rusher, defensive tackle and linebacker.

Up today: Cornerback

Cooper DeJean

Roob: What DeJean was able to do this year as a rookie is mind-blowing. From his first snap as the No. 1 slot against the Browns through his pick-6 in the Super Bowl he gave the Eagles remarkably consistent, intelligent, physical, mistake-free play. He allowed 8.3 yards per target – 6th-best of 182 defensive backs who were targeted at least 30 times – and was exceptional in every phase of the game. Great tackler. Superb in coverage. Tough vs. the run. The Eagles were 2-2 before he joined the starting lineup and 16-1 once he did. As well as he played in the regular season, he was even better in the postseason, with a defensive passer rating of 61.1. The kid is a star in the making.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: Because of his hamstring injury in training camp, DeJean didn’t get a chance to enter the lineup until Week 6 but he helped transform the Eagles’ defense as their top nickel cornerback. He played so well in all facets of the game and his pick-6 in the Super Bowl is going to go down in history as one of the great plays in franchise history. Not bad for a player on his 22nd birthday. The future definitely looks bright for DeJean in an Eagles uniform. In the draft, there were questions about DeJean’s position at the NFL level and the Eagles even listed him as a defensive back. But he seems to have a home at nickel corner. There’s a chance he could end up playing some on the outside in 2025 if needed but a long-term move doesn’t seem wise.

Verdict: Stays

Avonte Maddox

Roob: As bad as Maddox looked the first month of the season as the starting slot, he actually played really well the second half of the season and in the playoffs filling in here and there in the slot and at safety. His 4th-down pass breakup on a Patrick Mahomes pass to DeAndre Hopkins was a huge play in the Super Bowl one snap before Jalen Hurts’ 46-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith. Maddox is a free agent, and I’m not sure if he fits in on the 2025 roster. But his ability to back up anywhere in the secondary and contribute on special teams makes him fairly valuable. And he doesn’t cost much. The easy answer is that he goes. But maybe not?

Verdict: Stays

Dave: DeJean took over for Maddox after the first four games of the season and it really helped the defense. But give Maddox credit. He never pouted about his demotion or asked out. He simply kept trying to be a good teammate and tried to offer the Eagles value any way he could. He became a backup nickel, backup safety and filled in admirably on special teams. Maddox will turn 29 in March and there’s clearly not a starting spot in Philly anymore for him. Perhaps there’s a team somewhere that will give Maddox a chance to compete for a starting spot. If that’s out there, he should give it a shot. But it seems like his time in Philly is probably over.

Verdict: Goes

Quinyon Mitchell

Roob: Like DeJean, Mitchell carried himself like a veteran from Day 1 of OTAs and played like a veteran from opening day through the Super Bowl. Some teams don’t draft a cornerback this talented in a generation. The Eagles got two in one year. Mitchell allowed just 54 yards on 20 targets in the postseason and the thing about both these young corners is that they’re only going to get better. The Eagles were the first team since the 1981 49ers to win a Super Bowl with two rookie starting cornerbacks, and these guys aren’t going anywhere. I’ll be shocked if Mitchell isn’t a Pro Bowler next year.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: The first-round corner from Toledo had an incredible rookie season and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting behind the Rams’ Jared Verse. Mitchell didn’t get his first interception until the playoffs and then had two of them. Had Mitchell hauled in some picks during the regular season, he very well could have been named the top defensive rookie. In Mitchell, the Eagles have found a true CB1 who will now take over that top role after the release of Darius Slay. Mitchell has the ceiling of a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in the NFL and he’ll get at least one more year with defensive backs coach Christian Parker, who seems like a future defensive coordinator. The Eagles should be excited about Mitchell’s future.

Verdict: Stays

Parry Nickerson

Roob: Nickerson is a 30-year-old veteran who’s had stints with the Jets, Jaguars, Packers, Vikings and Dolphins. He spent half the past season on the Eagles’ practice squad and now has a futures contract. The Eagles like his experience, and you would think a guy who’s bounced around the league for six years would be a good practice player, which is what the Eagles want out of these bottom-of-the-roster guys. We actually saw Nickerson with a practice-ending pick-6 off Tanner McKee a couple weeks into training camp last August. So I could see the Eagles keeping him around on the practice squad another year to give the best possible defensive looks to the offense at practice. But with the young talent the Eagles have in this secondary, it’s hard to imagine him on the 53.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: The veteran nickel cornerback stuck around all season on the practice squad and then got to party as a Super Bowl champion. Nickerson is 30 now but Vic Fangio seems to like him and he seems to be a good fit for the locker room. He’s a longshot at a roster spot but if the Eagles like the idea of having a veteran corner on the practice squad, Nickerson could fill that role again in 2025.

Verdict: Goes

Eli Ricks

Roob: The Eagles have kept Ricks around a couple years now, and he’s got some impressive tools to work with – good speed, great size, Alabama pedigree. With far better cornerback depth this year, his snaps dropped from 301 as a rookie to just 14. He was targeted once all year and allowed a 45-yard touchdown from Drew Lock to Malik Nabers in the fourth quarter of the meaningless year-end game against the Giants. Ricks has some upside, and he’s still only 23. The Eagles like this stable of young corners, and I don’t think they would have kept Ricks around all year without a real role if they didn’t really like his potential.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: The 23-year-old will enter his third NFL season in 2025 after not playing much this last year. As a rookie, Ricks was higher on the depth chart but got bumped down after the 2024 draft. Even though Ricks was inactive more often than not in the Super Bowl year, the Eagles clearly still think he’s worth developing. They kept him on the roster all season, taking up a valuable spot on the 53. They don’t do that unless they think Ricks has something. The Eagles aren’t in the business of letting go of young, talented and cost-controlled corners. Ricks was a tad disappointed that he didn’t get to play very much in 2024. There’s not a clear path to playing time in 2025 but I think the Eagles keep him around.

Verdict: Stays

Kelee Ringo

Roob: Depending what happens with Isaiah Rodgers, Ringo could be a starter in 2025. He doesn’t turn 23 till this summer, he’s got that terrific speed and at 6-2, 210 pounds, impressive size as well. He’s got to clean up his technique to be a productive every-down guy, and replacing a six-time Pro Bowler like Darius Slay is a lot to ask. But after what we saw from the Eagles’ top-ranked secondary and young corners in 2024 and Christian Parker’s ability to develop young d-backs, I think Ringo would have a chance to be a pretty good starter if the Eagles decide to go that way. And he’s still a young guy so has plenty of room to grow. Isaiah Rodgers played well also, but he’s five years older and will cost more.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: Depending on what happens this offseason, there’s an opportunity for Ringo to see the field a lot in 2025. He’s still just 22 years old after two full seasons in the NFL. While he was behind Slay, Mitchell and Isaiah Rodgers on the depth chart last season, Ringo has a lot of traits worth developing. He’s big and fast and while he has been a tad handsy during his NFL career, there’s a lot of tools to work with. Ringo spent the summer competing with Rodgers and Mitchell for a starting gig and ended up really being the one left out. But he ended up being the Eagles’ best special teamer in 2024 and has a chance to carve out a bigger role on defense in Year 3.

Verdict: Stays

Isaiah Rodgers

Roob: Rodgers could seem to be the heir apparent to Slay if the Eagles can make the money work, but he could very well be a victim of the Eagles’ limited cap space this offseason. Howie Roseman has been clear about playing young guys on rookie contracts, and if the difference between Rodgers and Ringo is minimal, it makes sense to keep Ringo on his rookie deal and let Rodgers go. Considering his lost 2023 season, Rodgers was good this year. But Rodgrs has some value, and there will be teams out there in free agency with more cap room, and with guys like Zack Baun, Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Mekhi Becton, Rodgers is not a priority.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: After the release of Slay, the Rodgers decision is more interesting. Rodgers got a chance to play a lot in 2024 because Slay kept getting banged up. While there was a drop-off between Slay and Rodgers, Rodgers did play well but was a bit up and down. Slay has been a proponent of seeing Rodgers earn a starting gig. Will that be in Philly? Or will another team offer him a contract on the open market? This could really go either way and it might depend on the team’s confidence in Ringo potentially being that other starter opposite Mitchell. If a team is willing to give Rodgers, 27, a multi-year deal it will probably prevent him from returning to the Eagles in 2025.

Verdict: Goes

A.J. Woods

Roob: The former Pitt Panther spent the entire season on the Eagles’ practice squad after the Commanders released him following training camp, and he’s one of the Eagles’ futures contract guys. At 5-foot-9, Woods is going to have to do some special things in training camp to give himself any sort of chance to stick around.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: The Eagles signed Woods to their practice squad in early September and he spent most of the 2024 season on the practice squad. At 5-9, 186 pounds, Woods is a backup nickel corner who was signed by the Commanders as a UDFA after the 2024 draft. He wasn’t here in training camp last year so this will be an opportunity to get a close look at him this summer. But he faces an uphill battle to make the team.

Verdict: Goes

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/eagles-stay-2025-bring-back-070000963.html