Quinyon's Questions Offer Insight Into Eagles Rookie's Smooth Move To The Slot

Veteran Avonte Maddox is serving as Quinyon Mitchell's sounding board.

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (30) during a training camp practice at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - The idea of Quinyon Mitchell in the slot was not in the Eagles organization's mind when the team took the Toledo product at No. 22 overall in April’s draft.

When you mix talent with a defensive coordinator both comfortable enough in his own skin to try different things and the reputation to do so with little blowback in a passionate football city, along with an unforeseen injury hiccup, a perfect storm of Mitchell spending a lot of his time this summer as an inside player has unfolded.

The goal from Vic Fangio’s perspective is to get his best three cornerbacks on the field on Sept. 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil against the Green Bay Packers.

"That would be ideal," Fangio said of playing Mitchell outside. "It may not be practical. We may have to play him at nickel. ... Both from a need and maybe just to get our best combination out there."

A pre-training camp hamstring injury has set No. 40 overall pick Cooper DeJean, a candidate to take Day 1 slot snaps, back a few weeks and Fangio seems to be mulling the undersized Isaiah Rodgers opposite Darius Slay at outside cornerback with Mitchell handling the inside work.

In the rare case that the Packers might be in an old-school base offensive look that doesn’t require a nickel back, Mitchell would revert back outside with Slay.

Veteran slot CB Avonte Maddox is taking most of his reps at safety these days, something that ramped up due to the absence of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, and second-year backup Sydney Brown, who remains on the Active/PUP list while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 last season.

Maddox has had significant injury issues over the past two seasons but has excelled in the slot when healthy and the veteran has served as a sounding board for Mitchell.

“He asks [questions] every day,” Maddox said. “Shoot, every 10 minutes, maybe. He’s definitely doing a great job. He’s smart. He knows football. I just give him the concepts of what I’m looking at, seeing here and there, how they’re lining up, what would I do in this situation or that situation.”

To Maddox, all the questions are an encouraging sign from a young player eager to learn.

“That’s encouraging to see because when you got questions, that means you care,” the veteran said. “You want to learn, you want to be out there. He’s doing a great job at nickel.”

Fangio is throwing a lot at Mitchell and Maddox also understands what it’s like to toggle between outside CB and nickel, something something Fangio has emphasized are very different positions.

“It’s difficult. I can vouch for that because I’ve done it before,” Maddox said. “I’m doing it now [with nickel and safety]. It’s definitely challenging … Outside corner doesn’t require a lot to learn, but inside, at the nickel spot, there is. "

Mitchell had an eventful day at practice on Sunday, one that included a heavyweight battle with DeVonta Smith in 1-on-1 work, an injury scare when dealing with tight end Dallas Goedert, and a practice-ending mistake when he got caught losing in press coverage to fellow rookie Johnny Wilson.

And the progress keeps coming.

"He’s killing it," Maddox said, "making plays every day and I’m loving to see it.”

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