Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills ready to play for first time in a year

Jalen Mills is itching to get back on the field, and the Eagles cornerback thinks he can play the entire Cowboys game on Sunday if that’s what’s needed.

While Mills technically remains on the Physically Unable To Perform list, he said he has been working with the starting defense all week. He was expected to be activated before Sunday.

“Just go out there and do my job,” Mills said of his game plan. “I’m not trying to be a superhero. I’m not trying to make any kind of amazing plays. Whatever [defensive coordinator Jim] Schwartz calls, line up and do my job, compete like my teammates and coaches know I can.”

"It's always the mindset, to play the entire game. I think I am [able]."

Asked the biggest challenge of being off for a year and coming back to play, Mills said he doesn’t know yet, because he’s never done anything like this.

Mills has been out since sustaining a foot injury last October in the Eagles’ game against Jacksonville. He did not take part in spring OTAs, and has been on the PUP list since training camp.

As for the other injured Eagles, cornerback Ronald Darby (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday’s game.

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson (abdomen), linebacker Nigel Bradham (ankle), defensive tackle Tim Jernigan (foot), cornerback Avonte Maddox (concussion, neck), left tackle Jason Peters (knee), and running back Darren Sproles (quad) will not play.

Despite an anonymous player criticizing the front office, the offense, and quarterback Carson Wentz to ESPN this week, coach Doug Pederson said his team remains bonded.

“I love that about our team. These guys, things get thrown at 'em all the time," Pederson said. “It’s kind of funny because we play a game. We play a sport, and we’re all judged and critiqued on this sport that we play and coach. Seems like everything is about the negative on players and coaches. There’s not enough positive.”

Pederson said he’s tried to focus on not only coaching the negative aspects of a player’s games but also praising them for their strengths.

That positivity, Pederson said, carries over to the players’ relationships with one another.

“For a team to hang together and do things together away from this building," he said, "just shows the character of the football team and where these guys are.”

A day after Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott called out his teammates for not working hard enough, three of their banged-up players got back on the practice field.

Their star wide receivers, Amari Cooper (ankle, quad) and Randall Cobb (back), and cornerback Byron Jones (hamstring), returned to practice.

Cowboys’ coach Jason Garrett said he also hoped to see more from both his starting offensive tackles, Tyron Smith (ankle) and La’el Collins (knee), who are practicing in limited capacity.