Philadelphia Eagles

Rodgers can't stop raving about ex-Eagles draft pick

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He wasn't even asked about Rasul Douglas.

Aaron Rodgers just started talking about him.

Yes, that Rasul Douglas.

Douglas, now with his sixth team since last summer, was signed by the Packers off the Cards’ practice squad last month after a rash of cornerback injuries, and the Eagles’ 2017 3rd-round pick has been a godsend for Green Bay.

On Sunday, he had a monster game in the 36-28 win over the Rams, with his first career pick-6 and four pass knockdowns.

“When you’re talking about Rasul, like how was this guy on the practice squad?” Rodgers said. “I mean, the dude has made so many plays for us. He’s got great instincts, good ball skills, he's made opportunistic plays for us.”

It’s been a crazy journey for Douglas since the Eagles released him at the end of training camp last year. 

He spent 2020 with the Panthers, then had brief stints with the Raiders and Texans this past summer before being released by both teams. The Cards signed him to their practice squad, where he spent the first month of the season before the Packers, desperate for healthy corners, snapped him up.

Six teams in 20 months.

“Shout out to our scouting department for seeing a guy like Rasul, who came in and he’s been a difference maker on that defense,” said Davante Adams, who went over 1,000 yards for the season Sunday. “The confidence he plays with, the speed he plays with. … And just that energy he plays with is so contagious, and I know the defense really feeds off that as well. 

“I enjoy watching him out there. It’s kind of a roll of the dice whether certain guys will play, especially if they’re out on the street, but he’s capitalized on his opportunity, he’s a great teammate, and it’s fun playing with him.”

Douglas’s 33-yard pick-6 off Matt Stafford Sunday was the first of his career, his first on any level since 2016, when he had a 54-yarder off Taysom Hill in West Virginia’s 35-32 win over BYU at FedEx Field.

He also picked off former teammate Kyler Murray earlier this year. They are his first interceptions since he intercepted Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott and Josh Johnson as an Eagle in 2018.

“Rasul has been a huge pick up for us and you have to give credit to Gutey (GM Brian Gutekunst) and his staff for finding him. I just love how he competes," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

"You see it play in and play out. The guy is so competitive. You see it in practice every day. Obviously, he’s made two plays that have had a major impact on games this year. There are multiple other plays that he’s made that have really impacted games, but obviously the two that come to mind is Arizona and then tonight having a pick-six. It seemed like there were other opportunities out there for him to have another interception. 

“I’m just really proud of his effort. I think our guys have really embraced him and took him in and we’re lucky to have a guy like that. It’s rare to find a guy like that midseason.”

Douglas did drop a potential second interception later in the game. He said his only regret from Sunday was a weak performance in his first lifetime attempt at a Lambeau Leap.

“As soon as I got the ball, I was thinking try to score so I could Lambeau Leap,” he said. “I think that’s what messed me up on my second one, thinking I was going to get a shot at redemption on my Lambeau Leap, because my first one wasn’t good enough. It was something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Six teams in 20 months is tough for anybody, but Douglas - still only 27 - said he feels like he’s finally found a home.

“They accepted me with open arms,” he said. “I just told them that (in the locker room), when coach had me speak a little bit, I just told them I appreciate how you made me feel like this is home, and that’s a good feeling to have.”

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