The Eagles placed safety Jalen Mills on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday. He will not be available for the regular-season finale against Washington.
The Reserve/COVID-19 list was created for a player who either tests positive for COVID-19 or who has been in close contact with an infected person or persons.
From an on-field standpoint, the Eagles are now down both their starting safeties from the Week 1 matchup against Washington with Mills out and Rodney McLeod on Injured Reserve. Marcus Epps started alongside Mills on Sunday in Dallas. Grayland Arnold played significant reps as the post safety. The Eagles also have Rudy Ford, Elijah Riley, and K'Von Wallace.
Mills was a valuable piece on the back end for Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz in 2020. A first-year safety, Mills moved to cornerback in emergency situations, including last week against the Cowboys. Mills leads the defensive backs with 1,012 snaps (97 percent) played this season. He's tied for the team lead with 105 tackles to go along with eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and an interception.
Mills is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the season after returning this year on a one-year deal. He was a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2016 out of LSU. He was a starter at cornerback for the Super Bowl Championship team the following year.
