Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Training Camp Battles to Watch
Cornerback – Jalen Mills vs Sidney Jones
Philadelphia went from a team desperate to sign mediocre punters in free agency to a team overflowing with young talent. They now have several potential stars waiting to compete for a starting outside job.
Ronald Darby appears to be the number one corner for Philadelphia after a trade last offseason with Buffalo that included wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a third round draft pick. Mills had character concerns coming out of LSU, forcing him to drop to the seventh round in 2016, but he’s thrived with Philadephia as the “Green Goblin.”
Rasul Douglas was a decent addition last year as a young nickel corner, and rookie Avonte Maddox will compete with Douglas for the nickel job.
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That leaves Mills and sophomore Sidney Jones competing for a starting job on the outside. Like Mills, Jones slipped in the draft despite his tremendous talent. If not for a ruptured achillies tendon during his Pro Day, Jones could have been a top-10 pick in 2017. Instead, he dropped to the second round and Philadelphia took a major gamble.
Jones did see time on the field late last year in one game, but he’s just as much a rookie entering 2018 as he was last year in terms of on-field experience. If Jones looks like the superstar he was for Washington in 2017 he’s arguably the number one corner on the team and the biggest steal in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Next: Dallas Cowboys: 5 Training Camp Battles to Watch
It’s a large collection of young talent in Philadelphia that can grow together over time, but the pieces have to fall just right for them to be in the Super Bowl again next year.