Eagles' Quinyon Mitchell Leaves Playoff Game With Shoulder Injury

Getty

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.

The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t missing many pieces after last season to make the leap to an elite defense – pieces they obtained through the draft with cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean and free agency with linebacker Zack Baun.

They might not have one of those key pieces moving forward, as Mitchell was forced to leave their NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams when he hurt his shoulder tackling quarterback Matthew Stafford in the first half.

“Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell has been downgraded to out due to his shoulder injury,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account at the start of the first half.

Without Mitchell, the Eagles are missing not just one of the NFL’s best rookies but arguably one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks.

Mitchell was a first round pick (No. 22 overall) out of Toledo in the 2024 NFL draft and started all 16 games he played in during the regular season, only sitting out the meaningless season finale against the New York Giants after the Eagles had already clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC Playoffs.

The Eagles were already down one defensive starter in the postseason after linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a season-ending injury when he tore his patellar tendon in a win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round on January 12.

Mitchell Received ‘A’ Draft Grade as Rookie

Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski gave Mitchell an “A” grade while handing out grades for all 32 first-round picks toward the end of the regular season — one of just 5 “A” grades out of 32 picks.

“The crafty defensive back showed off college football’s best ball skills, but his value took off upon showing how well he can cover man-to-man at this year’s Senior Bowl,” Sobleski wrote. “The rookie hasn’t backed down from any assignment and has been a big reason behind Philadelphia’s transformation from a bottom-seven defense to this year’s top-ranked unit. In the Eagles’ current eight-game winning streak, Mitchell has allowed 30 or fewer yards into his coverage during each of those contests, per Pro Football Focus.”

Mitchell was a 2-time All-American at Toledo and became the school’s first Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist in 2023 after setting a school career record with 46 pass breakups. He followed that by wowing scouts at the NFL combine with a 4.33-second 40-yard dash.

Mitchell became the first MAC player selected in the first round since Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis in 2017 and the first Toledo player selected in the first round since defensive tackle Dan Williams in 1993.

Eagles Have NFL’s Elite Rookie CB Combo

With Mitchell, the Eagles have what appears to be a long-term CB1. Paired with another standout rookie in DeJean they could have solidified their secondary for the foreseeable future.

Whatever happens down the road, the Eagles have set themselves up for one of the NFL’s all-time financial bargains in terms of a defensive backfield for the next 2-3 seasons — building blocks along with stars like second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was named NFL All-Pro and a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2024.