Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is back in the groove of the offseason after a year away from football following a gambling suspension. 

Rodgers, whom the Eagles took a gamble on by signing him in the midst of his suspension, has already been impressing at voluntary OTAs, 

He opened up to the media this week about having to take the 2023 NFL season off as punishment. 

"The league doesn't need anybody," Rodgers said. "Rules are rules. They are there for a reason. You break them, you get your consequences. If you don't, you continue to be great. That's one thing that everyone should learn.

"I got to be that guy to let everyone around me know or people around the league to know that, you might want to understand those rules if you don't want to be in my shoes."

A year away from the game is a long time, but Rodgers didn't waste it and instead, wisely chose to better himself on and off the field. 

"I worked on my speed this offseason," Rodgers said. "I worked on my hands. So I think that making plays on the ball is the one thing that definitely played a factor throughout this offseason. Just building up on my speed."

Rodgers explained how he kept his same NFL routine as if he was still prepping for gameday.  

"I just kept my schedule as if I was still playing," Rodgers said. "Sundays I used like a game day, did cardio and things like that. I took Tuesdays off. I still stayed with the NFL schedule and just continued to work. I continued to prepare for these moments."

Rodger Reveals Exactly What Kept Him Going 

Of course, it wasn't always easy since he spent a lot of time working out alone. 

“I'd say just being away from the locker room,” he said when asked about the hardest part to deal with. “That brotherhood feeling and just understanding that I made a mistake and I did my time. And just being back around a great team and a great culture of guys and just finally getting that locker room environment back into my heart feels real good.”

In order to keep himself going, Rodgers would imagine himself up against Eagles star wide receiver duo DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. 

"I think it's a mindset,” Rodgers said. “You know, I envisioned, every time I worked out, I envisioned the A.J. Browns and the DeVonta Smiths in front of me, so I think I just kind of locked in during my training and just knowing that when I actually do get back there’s going to be great receivers in front of me.”

Rodgers doesn't have to imagine Brown or Smith being in front of him anymore. 

Since the start of OTAs, Rodgers has been working with the Eagles' first-team defense going up against the top receivers. 

There's still a lot of offseason to go, but if Rodgers keeps up the good work then there's a chance he could make a comeback as a starting cornerback for the Birds. 

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James Bradberry skips out on another Eagles OTAs session

Woah.