The Philadelphia Eagles officially let cornerback Isaiah Rodgers walk in NFL Free agency.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rodgers and the Minnesota Vikings reached an agreement on a two-year deal worth $15 million on Monday.
"Former Eagles CB Isaiah Rodgers reached agreement on a 2-year $15 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. The deal includes $8M fully guaranteed. The deal was negotiated by Bryan Gavin and Ed Wasielewski of EMG Sports," Schefter wrote on X.
The decision not to bring back Rodgers was somewhat surprising, considering the Eagles released veteran star cornerback Darius Slay last week, leaving them with a question mark at the outside corner position.
However, the move could further suggest that rising second-year defensive back Cooper DeJean will be moving from the slot to the outside in 2025.
DeJean playing outside would not be entirely new for the Iowa product since he has college experience playing there and took several practice reps outside throughout training camp last summer.
Even before the Eagles decided on a plan for DeJean this past fall, defensive backs coach Christian Parker said the then-rookie could play anywhere after looking solid at every position he took practice reps at.
"I think Coop is very versatile," Parker said. "I think he plays with good vision to the ball. I think that he has good ball skills. I think we’re kind of in that process now we've moved him around a little bit. He can handle it mentally and I think as we move on through this phase right now and going into training camp then he'll have a home but he's been he's playing corner, he's playing nickel, you know, he's handling those things well and we'll continue to put more on his plate and see how he can handle it.”
DeJean did a very good job at nickel in Year 1, finishing with 51 tackles, three interceptions, and a forced fumble.. Those numbers were good enough to make him a Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist.
The Eagles could also turn to Kelee Ringo or Eli Ricks on the outside if they choose not to move DeJean. We could also see them address the position again in the upcoming NFL Draft.
