Jayden Daniels Is Getting All of the Attention. But It’s the Eagles Rookies Who Will Help Philadelphia to Grease the Polls on Broad Street on Sunday Night.
Look — I’m not saying that Jayden Daniels isn’t all that and a bag of potato chips from WaWa. He’s an impressive a rookie quarterback as has ever played in the NFL. And it’s not just that I think that the Eagles are the best team in the NFL (I do) or that I detest the Washington Commanders (I do) or that I’ve never seen an Eagles team as good as this one (I haven’t.)
But America is focused on the wrong rookie. This is the first time in modern NFL playoff history — a team with two rookie starting defensive backs has reached the playoffs and perhaps — a Super Bowl appearance. This year is also the first time in the thirty-two years of the Eagles franchise existence that two rookie defensive backs have been nominated for the AP Rookie of the Year in the same season.
Both the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts have been incredibly productive for the Eagles. Last April — Philadelphia grabbed both Quinyon Mitchell with the 22nd overall pick from the University of Toledo and DeJean with the 40th pick from the University of Iowa. By week 9 of the 2024 NFL Season — both Mitchell and DeJean were playing significant roles in the Eagles secondary. The result has been an incredible lockdown in the secondary on opposing NFL offenses week after week.
Along with Dejean and Mitchell — other nominees for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year are Dolphin’s linebacker Chop Robinson, Rams linebacker Jared Verse, and Rams defensive end Braden Fiske.
Tomorrow afternoon’s NFC Championship Game in the January chill of Philadelphia isn’t just a showcase of a young quarterback who will be on this stage for years to come. It’s one of a chess match for years to come — between both he and an Eagles secondary that will be trying to stop him. Oh and the Eagles have a signal caller that will be seeing Jayden Daniels for years to come.
And he’s pretty good, himself.
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