10 Philadelphia Eagles who must shine in Washington for Week 1

A pair of Philadelphia Eagles veteran players must step up in Week 1.

Originally a cornerback his first four years in Philadelphia, Jalen Mills pulled the switch to safety this past offseason (the position he played while at LSU). He’s attempting to fill the void left by Malcolm Jenkins’ departure.

By now, the theory is he’s gotten accustomed to his new position. Now, fans want to see how he fares against opposing teams. After all, Mills was practicing against his teammates. He should shine in the spotlight.

Mills didn’t play in last season’s opener and didn’t see the field until Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys, but in the Eagles Week 15 game versus Washington, he had one tackle and one assist. He needs to finish with a better stat line than that this time around.

A team’s win-and-loss record depends on the efforts of more than just their quarterback, but the signal-callers are the only players that have win-loss records attached to their names. Carson Wentz is no exception. The Eagles backup quarterback situation with Nate Sudfield and Jalen Hurts has been well documented, but there’s no doubt that ’11’ is one of the NFL’s best and puts Philly in the best position to win games.

Late in training camp, Wentz suffered from groin tightness and missed practice. Philly wanted to make sure he rested in preparation for a taxing season. Washington’s cornerback unit isn’t elite, but their defensive line might be, and the inclusion of Chase Young only adds to that. Wentz’s job is to find some rhythm and not let Washinton’s pass rush rattle him.