One Eagles Rookie Trending to Start

Because of his versatility in a defense already packed defense with high-profile names, Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell may be on his way to starting out of the gate.

One Eagles Rookie Trending to Start

Philadelphia plucked Mitchell from the draft’s 1st Round four months ago with the 22nd overall pick, a selection universally praised by NFL media and Eagles faithful. For now, Mitchell appears on track to start at the nickel cornerback position when the Eagles travel to Brazil for a date with the Green Bay Packers on September 6th.

Of course, the Eagles’ first unofficial depth chart doesn’t guarantee Mitchell the job, but the clues are palpable. New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised Mitchell last week, in fact. “I thought he did well. He played both nickel and outside corner. He’s a good player and he’s going to be a good player, we just have to be careful not to overload his plate too much,” Fangio told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Because nickel is a full-time position as well as corner, and he’s having to learn both right now. And they’re two drastically different positions. So we have to constantly monitor that to make sure he’s capable of doing that.”

Fangio also opined, “It may not be practical, we may have to play him at nickel. Both from a need, and maybe just to get our best combination out there.”

Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers are on deck to man the outside cornerback responsibilities, a spot that Mitchell will probably take over in time. Initially, though, Mitchell in the slot shouldn’t disappoint, well, anybody. He has that much plasticity on his resume.

Mitchell’s teammate, corner Avonte Maddox, believes he’s the real deal, too. “He’s definitely doing a great job. He’s smart, he knows football,” Maddox recently told reporters. “I just give him the concepts of what I’m looking at, what I’m seeing here and there and how they’re lining up. What would I do in this situation, what would I do in that situation, where you’re supposed to be in that situation, where you’re supposed to be in this situation.”

“He’s definitely doing a great job at nickel. Last week, he had a great pass breakup. That’s definitely encouraging,” Maddox added.

Most considered Mitchell a steal in April’s draft at pick No. 22 for one reason: the event was stuffed to the gills with offensive players chosen right away, leaving defenders like Mitchell to join the Eagles and Dallas Turner to Minnesota. In other drafts, Mitchell could’ve earned Top 12 or so placement.

Last year, Philadelphia’s defense ranked 29th in the NFL per DVOA — a terrible finish because the Eagles have so much shiny talent, at least on paper. The poor defensive play also aligned with the club’s midseason faceplant that puzzled the masses.

For a 2024 outlook, nevertheless, the youngsters in the house, including fellow corner Cooper DeJean, feel like a pathway to improvement.

So much so that Mitchell could be on a regular season field in a starter’s role 2.5 weeks from now if he can hold off Kelee Ringo or Parry Nickeson for the assignment.

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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His NFL obsession dates back to 1989. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.