5 Homegrown Philadelphia Eagles this team can’t lose to free agency
By Ben Swanger
. Jalen Mills, Defensive Back. . player. 54. .
Jalen Mills deserves more respect as a Philadelphia Eagles contributor.
The Green Goblin, Jalen Mills, has become one of the most versatile defenders for the Philadelphia Eagles. Mills is by no means, a top-notch pure safety or an elite cover corner. He isn’t the fastest defensive back or the best tackler, but versatility in the NFL, especially as a defensive back, should not be undersold.
2021 will be his sixth season in the NFL, and Mills will be playing in a new defensive scheme for the first time in his career. Former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves Mills like he could be his own son. Week in and week out for multiple years, Schwartz has praised Mills’ abilities, but now that Schwartz won’t be returning to Philly, Mills’ future with the team that drafted him could be in doubt.
The former seventh-round selection has recorded 283 tackles, five interceptions, five quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks during his time in Philly. In years three and four, he battled injuries, but in year five, he started 15 straight games before missing the Week 17 tank job due to COVID-19 protocols.
Mills transitioned to safety in 2020 to try to fill the void left by Malcolm Jenkins and, there’s no way to say this nicely. The Green Goblin wasn’t Malcolm Jenkins. Still, despite his shortcomings, there isn’t anyone else that can be relied upon to be the versatile weapon that Mills has been.
He proved that he can play the run and in the box well. He’s shown that he can hold things down in the back end. He can bounce outside to the corner and play coverage in emergency situations. Mills should only return in 2021 if he’s willing to sign another short-term contract worth somewhere around $4 million to $6 million per year. He could look elsewhere for a longer-term deal, however, if Philadelphia lets Mills slip through the cracks and onto another roster his versatility will surely be missed. You can count on that.
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Philadelphia’s urgency to bring back these five players will be fueled by the fact that the franchise probably won’t have better options. The team won’t be big spenders in free agency. They probably won’t be acquiring any Pro Bowlers in a trade, and no one is fully confident in this team’s ability to draft the right guys to fill voids.
These five Eagles are certainly far from franchise cornerstones, but the contributions that each one makes will surely be missed if they land elsewhere in the ultra-competitive NFL.