March 23, 2026, 1:38 p.m. ET

Sometimes, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. That’s seemingly true in Rodney McLeod’s case. His last snap played on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ defense came on January 16. 2022 during that Wild Card Round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That closed Nick Sirianni’s first campaign as head coach. The following offseason, Philadelphia lost McLeod and several valuable contributors on the defensive side of the football: McLeod, Steven Nelson, Hassan Ridgeway, and Alex Singleton.

That’s an angle that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Over the past two offseasons, 2025 and the current one, one of the more talked-about stories coming out of the Jefferson Health Training Complex has been the mass exodus of defensive talent. They’ve lost Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Isaiah Rodgers, and Avonte Maddox, along with valuable contributors like Reed Blankenship and Nakobe Dean. and Jaelan Phillips.

As mentioned, McLeod understands these types of transitions as he has experienced them first-hand. Recently, he guested on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football as a co-host. When asked about his opinion of the Eagles’ offseason so far, it was pretty evident that his concerns mirror at least one that we have heard before.

McLeod is one of the game’s good guys on and off the field, and he is easy to like. He has also earned his stripes as an Eagle, so anything he says about the team is worth listening to. It’s easy to disagree about one conversation. Losing Blankenship, Phillips, and Dean wasn’t a huge shock to the system. Yes, there was hope that one or more might stay, but most were prepared for the possibility that each player might land elsewhere. It’s easy to disagree with what he said about Howie Roseman. He’s one of the best in the business. Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider is on equal footing, but Roseman has earned the benefit of the doubt. He has the trust of his organization. He’ll figure this out and field an impressive roster.

It’s also worth mentioning that he’s playing the long game. Jordan Davis signed a massive extension this offseason, and some of what Roseman is doing involves him clearing space to sign the young defensive talent the Eagles have added in recent drafts. Soon, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean are going to have their numbers come up, and they’re all going to get paid. It sounds like, in the meantime, McLeod is electing to invest in his faith in Roseman, rather than panic. That’s the only approach that has made sense with this organization. The Philadelphia Eagles have earned that level of trust, and Howie Roseman has proven time and time again that he can navigate roster turnover better than most.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

If history is any indication, this won’t be the beginning of a decline. It will just be another chapter in a cycle the Eagles have mastered: reload, recalibrate, and rise right back into contention.