Underappreciated Eagles Cornerback Only Focused On His Job, Not Awards

PHILADELPHIA – Somehow, the only cornerback with 500-plus coverage snaps who has not allowed a touchdown isn’t yet in the top 10 of the Pro Bowl voting among fans. That’s only a third of the process to earn a nod to what really isn’t much of a game, but still an honor, nonetheless. Not that whether he gets in or not is on his mind.

“Nah, just like last year I wasn’t thinking about defensive rookie of the year,” he said. “I’m just thinking about doing my job.”

Quinyon Mitchell would be on a short list for doing his job better than most cornerbacks in the league. He has become even better than when he was a finalist for rookie of the year last season, to the point where teams don’t really throw the ball often in his direction.

“I just stay ready,” he said. “I always expect every play, every down, that the ball’s gonna come my way, so just stay ready the whole game.”

Teammate Praises Quinyon Mitchell

Mitchell will have to stay ready on Saturday when the Eagles travel to Landover, Md., looking to wrap up their second straight NFC East title with a win on Saturday. He will match up against Terry McLaurin. It’s not his first time against McLaurin, and won’t be his last, since the two teams will play again two weeks later in Philly.

So, it’s a good thing Mitchell has, more or less, won his previous battles vs. one of the game’s top receivers.

“You have to have a certain demeanor to play corner, and I think he has that,” said cornerback Adoree Jackson. “I think you just see how he walks, how he talks, and his swagger. ... A lot of people think DBs are supposed to be, like, exaggerated with ego and swagger, but for me it's how Q comes in and handles himself. I think that's what a true DB is - just goes out there and plays his game. Doesn't say much and then does it the next snap, the next game.”

Jakson said he has played with some great corners in his eight previous seasons in the league, players such as Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, and James Bradberry, and Mitchell is right up there with them. And he’s only in his second season.

“It's rare,” said Jackson. “It's a testament to not only him but his parents, who raised him to be the type of man that he is, to just come into work. It's hard to teach hard work, effort, and discipline.

“Some of the things you're born with and some of the things you pick up from when you were young so wherever he understood that and got it instilled in him is why he is here today and doing what he's doing, especially at a young age.”

Mitchell just turned 24 last summer, so his better days are still ahead, and Jackson believes he will only continue to improve. Maybe his peers around the league have noticed Mitchell, even if the fans across the league haven’t, yet, based on the Pro Bowl voting by them.

Granted, the Pro Bowl is basically a popularity contest. Earning an Associated Press All-Pro honor would mean more. Mitchell, though, doesn’t care if he's noticed or not.

“That really doesn’t have anything to do with me,” he said when asked if he feels underappreciated. “If they respect me, they do. If they don’t, that’s fine, I don’t really try to get into all that.”

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