After his first week of on-field work and feeling the intensity of practice, cornerback Jalen Mills said on Friday that, "I'll be playing in this game. I'm starting," ahead of Sunday night's NFC East showdown at Dallas.
The Eagles are one step closer to making that happen. Mills was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday before the team traveled to Dallas. Mills, injured on October 28, 2018 in the Eagles' game in London against Jacksonville, has worked for the last 12 months to get his foot injury right.
"I'm excited, regardless of the tone I'm speaking in. I'm trying to save it for Sunday night, of course," Mills added on Friday. "I'm going back home (Mills is from DeSoto, Texas) and I'm also doing what I love to do and that's play football. It's been a year almost to date and this is going to be a special one for sure."
While Mills says he's going to start, it will come down to a coaches' decision on Sunday. The Eagles, ravaged by injuries to the cornerback position throughout the season, have been starting Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones at cornerback, with Craig James coming in as a third cornerback on the outside. We'll find out on Sunday night who Mills will replace.
When he's on the field, Mills says he just wants to play his game. A seventh-round draft pick in 2016, Mills has started 25 of the 39 games he's played as an Eagle.
"Just go out there and do my job," he said. "I'm not going out there trying to be a superhero, not trying to make any kind of amazing plays. Whatever (Jim) Schwartz (defensive coordinator) calls, I'm going to line up and do my job and compete like my teammates and my coaches know I can."
