After six seasons with the Eagles, Rodney McLeod is preparing to relocate. The former Super Bowl starter is finalizing a deal with the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The Eagles re-signed Anthony Harris earlier this offseason and went through a virtual visit with Tyrann Mathieu this week. McLeod, a nine-year starter with the Rams and Eagles, will join a Colts secondary that encountered significant injury issues last season.
McLeod is entering his age-32 season. This will mark the veteran’s fourth NFL contract. The Eagles initially signed the UDFA success story in 2016 and kept him around, via a pay-cut agreement, to form a longtime McLeod-Malcolm Jenkins partnership. While McLeod played under former Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia last season, Indianapolis hired a new defensive coordinator this year (Gus Bradley). This McLeod agreement comes days after the Colts added veteran safety/special-teamer Armani Watts.
One of the more experienced free agents available, McLeod has made 123 starts during his 10-year career. He has intercepted 16 career passes and forced 11 fumbles. The ex-Virginia Cavalier has bounced back from multiple major injuries as a pro as well, returning from a 2018 MCL tear and a 2020 ACL tear. McLeod’s completion percentage as the nearest defender in coverage did spike following his latest post-injury re-emergence, rising from 48% in 2020 to 71%. Though, these figures are a bit less indicative for safeties than they are for cornerbacks.
Indianapolis has its Week 1 starter pair from last season — Julian Blackmon and Khari Willis — under contract. Blackmon is coming off an Achilles tear, while Willis missed six games last season and battled injuries in 2020 as well. Andrew Sendejo worked as a fill-in last season; the 12-year veteran remains in free agency.
Thanks Rodney!
Good luck to ya