Nick Sirianni on how the rookie corners ‘didn’t blink,’ Eagles offense’s ‘selflessness,’ Darius Slay’s injury

The Cincinnati Bengals threw Quinyon Mitchell’s way just three times Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus, and the Eagles rookie surrendered two catches for just 16 yards. Both of those catches came while Mitchell was covering Ja’Marr Chase, the NFL’s leader in receiving yards.

This, after Mitchell surrendered just one catch for 9 yards when the New York Giants targeted star rookie Malik Nabers against him.

Mitchell, the Eagles’ first-round pick this past spring, wasn’t alone as a rookie making his mark against Chase and the Bengals during his team’s 37-17 win in Cincinnati. Second-round pick Cooper DeJean was tasked with following Chase on a critical fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter, the Bengals opting to be aggressive on their 39-yard line. Chase motioned across the formation and caught a pass from Joe Burrow in the flat. DeJean followed the play perfectly and tackled Chase for a loss.

It would be greedy for the Eagles to ask for a much better start from their two rookie defensive backs, though Nick Sirianni said Monday that, like any draft pick, the Eagles have high expectations for the duo.

“These guys have given us confidence in them since the day they’ve gotten here,” Sirianni said. “It’s not a surprise to us because we see it every day at practice.”

The Eagles entered their offseason needing to make major improvements at cornerback, and so far it seems like they’ve addressed the problem adequately via the draft. Mitchell continues to impress as an outside corner and DeJean has settled in nicely since recently taking over as the starting slot corner.

“Excited about their skill set and who they are,” Sirianni said. “I think these guys are ultracompetitive, the moment’s not too big for them. They’re going against one of the best wide receivers in the NFL yesterday and they didn’t blink.”

» READ MORE: Eagles stats: An accurate and aggressive Jalen Hurts feasted on the Bengals

Jalen Hurts admitted after Sunday’s game that the Eagles have “a lot of mouths to feed” on offense. They entered the season with one of the league’s top wide receiver duos and then added one of the league’s best running backs to the mix. That’s without mentioning injured tight end Dallas Goedert, and the fact that Hurts, too, has the ball in his hands beyond the line of scrimmage.

The topic came up because of DeVonta Smith’s breakout game following his performance last week when he had just one catch for minus-2 yards in a blowout win over the Giants.

Smith, of course, came back with six catches for 85 yards and the go-ahead touchdown.

Sirianni said the team prepares each game plan with the intent of trying to get the ball into the hands of all their playmakers.

“You don’t really know that it’s not going to be your week until the game is going on and the flow of the game happens,” Sirianni said.

Smith did have a quiet first half, but the Eagles needed him in a big way in the second half.

“It takes great selflessness,” Sirianni said of the offensive playmakers. “Being a team is fighting for each other, it’s celebrating together, being selfless and understanding that sometimes it’s not going to be your turn that week and all that matters is that we win.

“Talking about DeVonta, he changed the game in other ways last week against the Giants. It just wasn’t when he was catching the football.”

» READ MORE: Have the Eagles found their offensive identity after pounding the Bengals? Jalen Hurts says he’s been pushing for it.

The Eagles will certainly be in the buyer’s market in the next week before the NFL’s trade deadline. Their emphatic win over a team that entered this season with Super Bowl aspirations assured that.

But what will they look for? And how will they balance the need to improve with the realization that some moves in the past have not panned out?

Regarding the second point, Sirianni said every season is different. But the first point?

“I love the team that we have and I think this team is really coming together,” Sirianni said. “With that being said, I know we’re always looking for ways to improve our team and I know Howie [Roseman] is the best at that, of always looking at ways he can improve the football team. I admire that and value that.”

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said on his podcast Monday morning that he was getting an MRI to assess the damage to the injured groin that forced him out of Sunday’s game. Slay said he was hopeful he could play in the Eagles’ next game vs. Jacksonville.

“If not, you can see [Isaiah Rodgers] is ready,” Slay said.

Sirianni said “we’ll see” when asked about Slay’s status. “We’ve got a lot of time before we play the next game.”

If Slay can’t go, he’s right in that Rodgers showed Sunday he’s ready to fill in. Rodgers recovered nicely on Chase, after the Bengals receiver had gotten a step on him early in the fourth quarter. Burrow’s long sideline throw was tipped by Rodgers to C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who secured the Eagles’ first turnover since Week 3.

Sirianni praised Rodgers’ toughness and work ethic along with his speed and quickness.

“Since he’s stepped foot in this building and we’ve been on the practice field with him, all we’ve seen him do is make plays,” Sirianni said.