If they're healthy enough to play, Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby will be Eagles' starting corners against Cowboys

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After cobbling together their cornerback position for the first six games of the 2019 season, the Eagles are hoping to get reinforcements this weekend in Dallas. 

Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby have been practicing and it looks like they’re trending toward returns against the Cowboys on Sunday night. And it looks like they’re going to return as starters. 

On Friday morning, head coach Doug Pederson was asked if he still views Mills and Darby as starters.

“I think so,” Pederson said. “I think those two would just kind of assume their roles moving forward, yeah.” 

Since the start of the 2017 season, including playoffs, the Eagles are 13-5 when Mills and Darby start. (They were 9-1 in 2017 and 4-4 in 2018.) 

Mills and Darby haven’t started a game together since Oct. 28 last season. That was also the last time Mills played in a game. Mills began this season on the PUP list with that same foot injury, but began practicing this week. If he is able to play and start on Sunday, expect there to be a rotation. 

Darby (hamstring) came back from an ACL tear from last season, but injured his hamstring against Detroit and missed the last three games. He’s been limited in practice this week, but hasn’t missed nearly as much time as Mills. 

Pederson said both have “been doing extremely well” this week in practice. 

“I think you still would rotate,” Pederson said. “It just depends on how both of those guys feel with coming off their injury and working themselves back into game shape, I guess. But I would anticipate that both of them would get a lot more time moving forward.”

If Mills and Darby start this week, Orlando Scandrick will likely be the nickel cornerback because Avonte Maddox (concussion, neck) still hasn’t returned. Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones would be the next two corners to rotate in. 

The Cowboys’ top receiver, Amari Cooper, is banged up and might not play. But either way, the Cowboys might try to test both cornerbacks coming back from injuries. 



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