When the Eagles went on the clock at No. 22 overall in April, they faced a choice.
If they were looking at corner, they had their choice of the top three players at the position: Alabama's Terrion Arnold, Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell and Clemson's Nate Wiggins. They went with Mitchell, an explosive Mid-American Conference star with great potential.
The Eagles are letting that potential guide them as they help Mitchell prepare for his first NFL season, starting by testing him out both on the outside and in the slot. So far, so good, but according to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, moderation remains key.
“I thought he did well,” Fangio said Sunday, via The Philadelphia Inquirer. “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. 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.”
Philadelphia made the selection of Mitchell from a rare place of privilege. The Eagles already had Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, Georgia product Kelee Ringo and veteran James Bradberry on their roster. After choosing Mitchell, they spent another pick on Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, then moved Bradberry to safety, attempting to revamp their secondary with as much talent as possible while positioning themselves for a future that may not include Bradberry or Slay beyond 2024 or 2025.
It's both a short- and long-term play for general manager Howie Roseman, who has not shied from stocking the defense with talent and room to grow. Just don't expect Mitchell's usage in 2024 to necessarily reflect his multi-year plan.
As is the case with most every team expecting to seriously contend, the main priority remains the present. Philadelphia is deeper on the outside than at nickel, with Avonte Maddox -- a veteran who missed significant time last season -- standing as the only other legitimate slot on the roster.
“It may not be practical, we may have to play him at nickel,” Fangio said of Mitchell. “Both from a need, and maybe just to get our best combination out there.”
As for Bradberry, the former corner is doing quite well at safety, exceeding most initial expectations.
“He’s doing pretty damn good there," Fangio said of Bradberry, via 97.5 The Fanatic. "He’s got a good feel for football, which has carried over to the safety position for him. I think he understands the game from a high level through his experience and through his intelligence, and it’s helped him in the transition to safety. He’s been doing a good job.”
If fully healthy, the Eagles could roll out a fantastic secondary that includes Slay, Rodgers, Mitchell, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (who returned from a one-year stint in Detroit this offseason), and Reed Blankenship. Bradberry could work into the defense behind Gardner-Johnson, while Ringo could fit in behind Rodgers. If DeJean gets healthy, he could share some time with Mitchell -- or we could see Mitchell start games on the outside and slide into the slot in Nickel and Dime packages.
That's depth. After struggling mightily under former coordinators Sean Desai and Matt Patricia, such depth could produce a turnaround the Eagles desperately need in 2024.
It seems to be Fangio's goal; preparing for any scenario by throwing as much talent at the situation as possible. He just needs to avoid overloading Mitchell in the rookie's first season, especially when considering the run-game responsibilities that come with playing Nickel.
“It’s difficult,” Maddox said of moving between the boundary and inside. “I can vouch for that because I’ve done it before and I’m doing it now. It’s definitely challenging because, outside corner, there isn’t a lot to learn, but I know inside the nickel spot there is. That’s him going in there, I guess, for his first time playing in there and playing in the NFL, it’s the big leagues. It’s definitely been challenging for him but, like I said, he’s got questions every single day, he’s been killing it.”
Good news is better than the alternative, and it sounds as if the Eagles have options. That's more than some other teams can say at this point. We'll see what it means for Mitchell as the regular season approaches.