Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell will see plenty of action in the Eagles’ opener, Vic Fangio says

When asked if rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell is going to be on the field just about every play in the Eagles’ season opener against the Packers and if he’s prepared for that responsibility, Vic Fangio was blunt in his response:

“Yes and yes,” the defensive coordinator said Monday.

The Eagles have yet to officially announce their starters at positions that were up for grabs going into training camp, which includes cornerback. Still, Fangio confirmed that Mitchell “will be out there” plenty Friday night at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil. Fangio also suggested that the first-round pick out of Toledo may play multiple positions, as he did in camp, at least to start the season.

The defensive coordinator threw several responsibilities at Mitchell throughout the summer, playing him both in a familiar alignment on the outside and in the slot, a position he hadn’t previously tried. But Fangio said he saw Mitchell pick up the nuances of both positions “pretty quickly,” allowing him to get on the field more often.

As camp progressed, Mitchell surged up the depth chart and into the competition at outside cornerback, taking a number of reps on the boundary at practice opposite Darius Slay with the first-team base defense by the end of camp. When the team was in nickel, Mitchell moved inside and Isaiah Rodgers often took his spot on the outside.

“I do think for him personally, it would be good to lock in at one spot, because even though we’ve been very happy with his development and his learning abilities, he still is a rookie,” Fangio said. “And I do think if he can get comfortable at one spot, it would be to his benefit, but we might not be able to do that.”

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The 23-year-old Mitchell said he feels well-prepared for his NFL regular-season debut. He acknowledged that learning the intricacies of the slot came with challenges at first, but now he has it “down pat.” Mitchell expressed a sense of eagerness to show his coaches that their trust in the form of a heavy workload is in the right place.

“It just means a lot,” Mitchell said. “Just means I’ve been working hard and stuff like that, and I’ve just got to keep my foot on the gas pedal.”

Meanwhile, fellow rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean is roughly three weeks into practicing once again after sitting out with a hamstring injury for the majority of camp. As a result, Fangio acknowledged that DeJean is behind in his development because of the circumstances.

“I think he’s as prepared as he can be, but having said that, not where he needs to be,” Fangio said.

DeJean managed to return in time for the final preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, playing 45 of his 47 defensive snaps in the slot. It was his first game since Nov. 11, dating back to his college career at Iowa when he broke his leg in practice. The second-round pick was rusty in some areas of his game, particularly in coverage.

“I learned a lot,” DeJean said. “I think there’s a lot of things that I need to clean up. You could tell I hadn’t played in a little while. There’s some things I did good and some things I didn’t do as good. But it’s good to have that tape to go back and look at and see where I can improve and really focus on that throughout the practices.”

While Fangio suggested that DeJean has more developing to do, the 21-year-old cornerback said that he feels “great” in the wake of his injury and that he’s ready to go for Friday’s game if called upon.

“I’ve gotten a lot more reps as I’ve gotten back,” DeJean said. “So I’ve got more and more comfortable out there on the field, which has been good. And these guys have been helping me along.”

Some offenses excel in the passing game, others in the running game, and some are masters of both. According to Fangio, Green Bay falls in the last category.

By the end of the 2023 season, the Packers were humming in both aspects of their offense, going 6-2 in their final eight games. They averaged 123.3 rushing yards and 261 passing yards per game in that span, which were improvements over their averages through the first nine games (102 rushing yards, 208 passing yards).

Consequently, the Packers also boasted a strong play-action game, forcing defenses to honor the threat of the run. Green Bay finished the season ranked ninth in the league with 118 play-action pass attempts and eighth with 1,105 play-action passing yards. Fangio said that defending the play-action game well is paramount for the linebackers, but his group did not see “a lot of that type of play-action” in camp.

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Quarterback Jordan Love brings yet another edge to the offense thanks to his ability to extend plays, Fangio added. The second-year starter racked up 200 scramble yards in 2023 (No. 13 in the NFL), according to Pro Football Focus.

“They’re really tough to defend,” Fangio said. “They run it and throw it equally well, and you throw in an athletic quarterback, and it’ll be an all-day sucker.”

The Eagles announced their seven-man crop of captains for the 2024 season on Friday. The group is comprised of Lane Johnson, Jalen Hurts, Brandon Graham, Jordan Mailata, Jake Elliott, A.J. Brown, and Slay.

Mailata, the 27-year-old left tackle from Australia, is the only first-time captain among the group. He said he was both shocked and honored upon learning of his selection by his peers in a team meeting. The distinction does not change his approach to leadership, however.

“I want to continue to still do what I know and what I believe,” Mailata said. “There’s a reason that your teammates vote for you. I’m not going to change anything else. Just going to continue.

“I will say this, though: It does put a highlight that they are now watching me. So I want to keep continuing to be the best example, on and off the field, and continue to hold everyone accountable.”