Philadelphia Eagles: The Jalen Mills Renaissance is (almost) upon us

After a year-long hiatus from the field, Jalen Mills can finally return some consistency to the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary – yes, seriously.

I’m just going to come right out and say it: I’m a huge fan of Jalen Mills.

While he may not be the biggest, fastest, or strongest player to ever line up in the LSU Tigers secondary, the cornerback/nickleback/safety hybrid consistently found ways to impact games in college – and continued that trend into the NFL when he became one of the true steals of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Needless to say, Mills would not have been drafted in the seventh round if it were held today, and will undoubtedly go down as the second most important Philadelphia Eagles 2016 draftee behind only Carson Wentz; that, my friends, is high praise.

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However, for one reason or another, Mills has never been a particularly popular player in the NFL, even in the city he calls home.

Maybe it’s his hair, maybe it’s his tendencies to wag a finger after every tackle, or maybe it’s because his lack of athleticism makes him a liability on the deep ball (4.61 40 yard dash), but regardless, it has always felt like some fans couldn’t wait for the day when the Jalen Mills-era of Eagles football came to an end – at least until the start of the 2019 season.

With Mills on the PUP list, the Eagles’ cornerbacks room looked to be among the deepest on the team, with more than enough talent to go replace the volatile veteran.

Boy, did those feelings age well.

Fast forward to Week 5 and the Eagles starting cornerback trio was composed of Rasul Douglas, James Craig, and ex-Cowboy Orlando Scandrick – the latter of which weren’t even on the team until Weeks 4 and 5 respectfully.

So when news broke that Mills was finally ready to resume football operations a full 12 months after suffering a foot injury back in October of 2018 – with a potential return against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7 targeted – it changed the opinions of fans across the 215.

Suddenly, Mills apparent shortcomings became a whole lot more manageable, and his love-it or hate-it swagger became almost charming.

After weeks of suffering through the worst of the worst, a regular 2014-esque defensive backfield if you will, the Eagles would finally get back one of their starting cornerbacks back; maybe even their best starting cornerback.

Oh god, has Mills absence dragged on long enough that the days of number 31 lined up outside have faded into fuzzy, fond memories in the collective minds of the Philly faithful?

Believe it my dudes, the Jalen Mills- renaissance is about to be in full swing.

Granted, Mills alone may not suddenly transform Jim Schwartz‘s secondary from zeros to heroes, but his return does give the coordinator a proven vet with respectable ball skills and an aggressive approach to playing corner regardless of his opponent.

I mean Mills dyed his hair midnight green for goodness sake, he is not a player devoid of confidence.

Next. William Jackson III is Ronald Darby, but better. dark

While Jalen Mills’ return alone wouldn’t suddenly remove the need for Howie Roseman to once again work his magic and execute a swing-for-the-fences trade for a more reliable number one option – my personal favorite being Cincinnati Bengals former first-round pick William Jackson III – reinserting the Green Goblin into the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary can only make the team better, regardless of who lines up where.

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