The Philadelphia Eagles' training camp is sailing along, and the team is prepping for the upcoming regular season. For some players, the approaching season means just a little more. It seems like Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is one of those players.
According to TMZ (via ML Football), Rodgers has a pair of cleats for one division rival in particular.
“NEWS: Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers has had custom cleats that say ‘DALLAS SUCKS,' which he plans on wearing next season,” reported ML Football on X, formerly Twitter. “Rodgers has not played since 2022, due to being suspended for gambling.”
The cleats, which also seem to be inspired by Marvel superhero Spider-Man, displays the “DALLAS SUCKS” mantra on the underside of the shoe. The Eagles' rivalry with Dallas is one of the NFL's most notable, so calling out the Cowboys specially makes a lot of sense. Rodgers also likely has a chip on his shoulder after his lost 2023 season, so the cleats could provide a little bit of extra motivation.
Eagles' defense looks to rebound from awful 2023 season
After a scorching 10-1 start to the 2023 season, Philadelphia then hit a vat of liquid nitrogen. The Eagles lost every single game they played in after the start of December. Well, except for beating the Giants (it would make more sense for the bottom of Rodgers' Spider-Man cleats to say “NEW YORK SUCKS” right?) on Christmas.
A large part of this collapse was the defense. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai was stripped of his play-calling duties, with assistant coach Matt Patricia taking over. This led to an even bigger slip in form for the unit, as they weren't built for Patricia's formations and alignments. Once the season ended with a Wild Card round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni fired Desai and Patricia. He replaced them with veteran defensive guru Vic Fangio, who spent last season as the Miami Dolphins' defensive coordinator.
Isaiah Rodgers looks to help new-look Eagles defense
As Fangio looks to bring his unit up to the level of Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore's attack, many new faces need to step up. One of those faces could be Isaiah Rodgers. He signed with the Eagles last year while suspended, so he didn't play at all in 2023. He's since been reinstated, so he's healthy and ready to contribute.
Cornerback was one of the rougher spots for Philly last season, so GM Howie Roseman drafted corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first and second rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. He also signed slot cover specialist C.J Gardner-Johnson after the former Bird played for the Lions in 2023.
There are even more additions to the rest of Fangio's unit, including former Buccaneer Devin White at linebacker and edge rusher Zack Baun. If all the new players can mesh well with the leftovers, then the Eagles could have a defensive revival in 2024 and beyond.
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