PHILADELPHIA — In a perfect world, Quinyon Mitchell would be playing at one of the outside cornerback spots on the Philadelphia Eagles and Cooper DeJean would be playing inside. That perfect world may come into fruition at some point this season, but Mitchell and DeJean are making the best of their current situation.
Mitchell has been playing the slot in DeJean’s absence, slated to start there come Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. DeJean finally returned to practice after missing the first three weeks of camp with a hamstring injury, slowly acclimating himself to the slot as he ramps up for game action.
DeJean has been coming along quicker than expected, even if the Eagles are taking their time ramping him up. Until DeJean is back to man the slot, Mitchell has been holding the fort.
“Oh he’ve been coming back. You know, he’ve been doing a great job,” Mitchell said. “You know we were meeting every night and stuff like that.
“Whatever they asked me to do, I’m gonna do whatever they ask me to do, they gonna do it. We just working and competing.”
What are Mitchell and DeJean doing in those late-night meetings?
“It’s just me and him and just another coach,” Mitchell said. “Just watching film, just watching guys on the lead and just getting prepared. We were just going back and forth with dialogue and stuff like that. The same things we see and stuff like that.”
What Mitchell and DeJean have been watching in the classroom is transferring onto the field. During Sunday’s training camp practice, Mitchell anticipated a route from DeVonta Smith that resulted in a pass breakup in 11-on-11 drills. Earlier in camp, Smith burned Mitchell on that same route and created a massive gain for the offense.
“I mean, it’s been good work,” Mitchell said. “Him and A.J. [Brown] get me ready and get me prepared everyday. It’s been real exciting. They the best two in the game.”
Mitchell also got Smith on a play where Jalen Hurts didn’t have a receiver open during the red zone period. Smith tried to get Mitchell on a few moves, but Mitchell didn’t bite as Hurts forced the throw into the middle of the end zone for an incompletion — which would go in the stat sheet as a pass breakup by Mitchell.
Those late-night meetings with DeJean are paying off. Smith has been helping him, too.
“It’s all about competition and along the way he’s been giving me tips and stuff like that,” Mitchell said. “Last week he gave me a tip and I did better on it this week. He’s been getting me up to speed on the game.”
DeJean is benefitting from the meetings with Mitchell as he’s getting back into form. At some point this season, the Eagles will have DeJean in the slot and Mitchell on the outside. But until DeJean is fully back and ready for the rigorous tasks at nickel, that spot belongs to Mitchell.
The Eagles need Mitchell there. That’s why the late night meetings with DeJean have been vital to his development.
“We got to have a nickel,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “The nickel is going to be out on the field by today’s standards 70-85% of the time. It’s an important position, and whatever our best combination is, is what we’ll go with.”
