Eagles' 12 most intriguing players in 2025: Can our No. 7 player come out of his shell?

Yahoo

5 days ago

PHILADELPHIA − We see glimpses every now and then of the cocky, trash-talking, fun-loving cornerback that Quinyon Mitchell can be.
But most of the time, Mitchell is reserved, willing to let his actions on the field do his talking for him.
It worked well for Mitchell last season as a rookie with the loquacious veteran Darius Slay playing on the opposite side at cornerback. But Slay is gone, and no one else on the roster has played more snaps as an Eagles cornerback than Mitchell, who was a starter and full-time player from Week 1.
So should the Eagles expect more of an outgoing, vivacious display from Mitchell this season? Perhaps the parade, when Mitchell was seen celebrating with fans − adult beverages and all − was an indication of Mitchell coming out of his shell.
Then again, while fellow 2024 rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean was spread thin around the region during the offseason, basking in the adulation of being a key part of the Super Bowl champs, Mitchell mostly kept a low profile.
So, has his life changed since the Super Bowl?
"Nah, I just been the same dude," he said. "I feel like I've always been the same dude."
But in many ways, Mitchell's life will change, at least on the football field.
Mitchell, not Slay, is now the leader of the cornerback room. Mitchell, not Slay, will be required to lock down the opponent's top receiver, perhaps traveling from side-to-side wherever that player lines up.
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That's why Mitchell is No. 7 on our list of 12 most intriguing Eagles heading into the start of training camp on July 22. We're counting them down each weekday from No. 12 to No. 1. The series began July 7 and will culminate with the start of camp.
Mitchell, of course, knows all of this. He has always been a student of the game, and he learned a lot from Slay, who turned 34 years old last season and served as a mentor for Mitchell.
But Mitchell also knows that he has to lead differently. He learned that from Slay as well.
"I just think what he showed me was just connecting well with the guys," Mitchell said. "Just learning from each other, so I just pick everybody else's brain in the group. Helping everybody out. Just been gelling together."
That has not only resonated with the other young cornerbacks, but also with veteran free agent Adoree Jackson, who spent the last four seasons with the Giants.
"Obviously, being in New York, I got to study and see them on film, and see those two guys perform without knowing them," Jackson said about Mitchell and DeJean. "Then actually getting to know them, (they are) students of the game, hard workers, very humble. And just good general people.
"I've been excited watching them compete and compete with them, then learn from them as well because they've been here and they're helping me out."
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Mitchell said he's not satisfied with a rookie season in which he passed every test and was one of the finalists for rookie defensive player of the year.
After all, Mitchell ranked third among NFL cornerbacks in fewest yards allowed per coverage snap at 0.8 yards (minimum of 600 snaps). He also ranked third among NFL defensive backs in forced incompletions at 15.
None of that, however, means anything going into the 2025 season.
"Like coach said, we're on the mountain right now, so it's just getting better each and every day, learning new stuff, getting better at my strengths and weaknesses," Mitchell said.
So where on the mountain is Mitchell?"At the bottom," he said.
Contact Martin Frank at [e-mail]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles' championship season in 'Flying High,' a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Quinyon Mitchell: Why Philadelphia Eagles cornerback is key to success