Jalen Mills is suddenly the Philadelphia Eagles’ top outside reserve cornerback
The Philadelphia Eagles are a play away from the fifth season of ‘The Jalen Mills Show’.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Philadelphia Eagles have put themselves in a rather unadvantageous situation at cornerback.
Now, in theory, moving on from Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas made sense, as the former Day 2 cornerbacks have vastly underperformed to their 2017 draft stocks. Reserving a roster spot for a lost cause is just kicking a more promising player to the curb. However, in practice, the Eagles now have five cornerbacks on their active roster going into Week 1.
That sounds like a lot but in practice, not so much.
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You see, of the Eagles’ cornerbacks, two, Cre’Von LeBlanc and Nickell Robey-Coleman are basically interior-only players. LeBlanc is one of the slowest cornerbacks in the NFL, running at 4.67 coming out of FIU at 190 pounds, and NRC is one of the shortest at 5-foot-8. While either could moonlight on the outside in very, very specific situations against a receiver like DaeSean Hamilton, or Jamison Crowder, both are just better suited in the slot, where their physical limitations are less exploitable.
And then there’s Craig James, who technically played on the outside for the Eagles in his lone start as a pro, but is far more of a special teams ace than a lockdown perimeter defender.
So that just leaves Darius Slay, a sure thing top-10 cornerback, and Avonte Maddox, a 5-foot-9 third-year pro with very little NFL experience starting on the outside. That’s… not great.
Ultimately the Eagles may be fine with only two outside cornerbacks on their active roster. I mean, historically they probably won’t be, as the Eagles’ secondary has been ‘Injury City’ since Doug Pederson and Jim Schwartz came to town, but hey, maybe this year will be the outlier?
Alternatively, the Eagles could always target another cornerback on the open market or from another team’s practice squad. The Eagles seemed to really like Cordrea Tankersley during the 2017 pre-draft process and may have selected him over Douglas had they not moved down 25 spots in the third round thanks to a lopsided swap with the Baltimore Ravens for Timmy Jernigan, maybe they can sign him?
Or, here me out, what if the Eagles already have their primary backup outside cornerback on the roster, only now, he’s the team’s starting strong safety?
Yup, we might be a play away from ‘The Jalen Mills show’ getting a fifth season in South Philly.
Now I know, I know, to some, the very idea of putting Mills back on the outside is enough to send shivers down their spines, and that’s understandable. While Mills has the grit, short memory, and finger-waggin’ swagger Schwartz loves in a defensive back, he’s also a certified 4.6 runner with an ugly tendency for committing pass interference penalties. In a perfect situation, with a player like Slay shadowing opposing top receiving options, maybe Mills would be fine as a clear 1b but with each passing season the need to secure an upgrade at CB2 has become increasingly more obvious.
With that being said, having Mills around as a primary backup plan is an absolutely brilliant development that frankly, I think deserves a ton more credit.
Think about it, is there another team in the league with a backup cornerback with four years, 2,551 snaps, and 38 starts in their team’s scheme? Maybe the Cowboys, who just signed long-time cornerback Brandon Carr to their practice squad after a successful three-year tenure with the Ravens, but other than that not so much.
Granted, it’d be nice to have a young developmental option behind Mills, as again, Maddox is far from a sure thing on the outside but at least we can safely sleep well at night knowing that the Eagles’ secondary is leaps and bounds better than this time last year.
Oh gosh, is Mills actually the most important player in the Eagles’ secondary due to his five-position versatility? Protect the Green Goblin at all costs.
Next. 5 thoughts on a confusing initial 53-man roster. dark
The Philadelphia Eagles are not the most traditionally built team in the NFL. They have six linebackers, a position they use less than most, but only two tight ends, a position they use more than most, and until today, a massive question mark at arguably the most important offensive position outside of quarterback, left tackle. With that in mind, keeping Jalen Mills around as a do-it-all defensive back was one of the smarter moves Howie Roseman made this past spring, as he’s now the team’s top reserve option at outside cornerback in addition to their starting strong safety.