The Philadelphia Eagles recently traded cornerback, Eric Rowe, to the New England Patriots for a conditional 2018 fourth-round pick. Eagles defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, met with the media this morning to discuss the trade and give his reasoning on why the move was made.
“The development of Jalen Mills had a lot to do with trading Eric Rowe,” Schwartz said. “Rowe worked hard and we wish him the best.”
The Eagles are currently carrying four cornerbacks on the team’s 53-man roster. The team always planned to just dress four cornerbacks, meaning if Rowe was on the roster this upcoming Sunday then he would’ve been inactive.
The emergence of Mills was a huge headline during training camp. The rookie came in and turn heads immediately on the practice field. The hype revolving around the team’s seventh-round pick died down a bit during the preseason, but Mills still gave Schwartz a positive impression.
“Jalen was a seventh-round pick and has just come in here and exceeded all of our expectations,” Schwartz said when asked what he’s seen in Mills this offseason.
The Eagles current depth chart has Mills slated as the No. 4 cornerback. Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll are the team’s outside starting corners, while Ron Brooks is expected to handle the nickel position.
Mills won’t make a day one impact right away in his rookie season, but don’t be shocked to see him emerge and claim a starting spot in this Eagles secondary throughout the course of the season. McKelvin is known to be injury prone, Carroll is coming off a short-lived season in 2015, and Brooks is a first time starter.
There’s definitely a chance we see Mills in the starting lineup at some point in 2016. He’s definitely caught the attention of not only Schwartz, but defensive back coach, Cory Undlin, as well. It’s only a matter of time before he’s making a noticeable impact for the Eagles.
