3 Reasons Philadelphia Eagles rookie K’Von Wallace could start Week 1

3. Don’t rule out the possibility of Mills spending time playing cornerback for this Philadelphia Eagles defense.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past three months, you’re well aware that the Eagles made the decision to move on from one of their captains both on the field and off, Malcolm Jenkins, a man who played every snap on defense during his six-year run with the team. The only time he sat out was in Week 17 of the 2017 season as the “Birds” prepared for a playoff run as the NFC’s number-one seed.

In the minds of many, the logical choice to replace him was Jalen Mills, who played safety at LSU before joining the Eagles in 2016. Last season, in a Week 11 date versus the New England Patriots, the “Green Goblin” shined in a game where Jim Schwartz played him all over the field.

The result was a pass breakup and four tackles, but what was most important was the emotional lift that he gave his teammates by just being on the field.

Mills played in 74 of the defensive snaps in that one. He played one snap at free safety. 17 snaps were played with him either lining up “in the box” or closer to the line of scrimmage, but most of his time was spent playing both the slot role and outside at cornerback. Might his role in 2020 look like that, or are we to see him truly take over at the strong safety spot for Jenkins?

Questions about who starts on the opposite side of Darius Slay have been constant, but don’t be surprised if you see Mills moved all over the field, taking a few snaps at safety and a few more at the corner with Wallace and Rodney McLeod serving as the last line of defense for what should be a much-improved Eagles secondary.