The Eagles stifled the Commanders offense for most of Thursday night’s 26-18 win and one of the key reasons they were able to do that was the play of first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell.
Mitchell was tasked with covering wide receiver Terry McLaurin much of the time and the rookie cornerback took Washington’s top wideout out of the game. McLaurin had one catch for 10 yards that came against different coverage and said after the game that Mitchell plays like he’s been in the league for a lot longer than a few months.
“He’s a good corner,” McLaurin said, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I think he plays well. He doesn’t really play like a rookie.”
The Eagles finished 30th in points allowed last season, but they’re currently sixth and they have allowed the fewest yards of any team in the league. They also have the third-stingiest pass defense.
Neither Mitchell nor any other individual can take all the credit for that, but the decisions to hire defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and add players like Mitchell, cornerback Cooper DeJean, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and linebacker Zack Baun to his unit reflect well on General Manager Howie Roseman’s offseason efforts.
