Eagles activate CB Jalen Mills ahead of Sunday Night matchup with Dallas

Blake Schuster
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
Updated
Eagles activate CB Jalen Mills ahead of Sunday Night matchup with Dallas

Jalen Mills is officially back for the Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

The cornerback who suffered an injury-plagued 2018 campaign, and missed the first six weeks of this season, returns to his hometown of Dallas for his first start of the year.

Mills was an integral part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team in 2017, recording 64 total tackles and three interceptions. What should’ve been another step forward in his career the following year went haywire thanks to a foot injury in Week 8. That same injury kept him on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start 2019.

In his absence, Philadelphia’s defense floundered. It currently ranks 19th in the league — 29th against the pass — while allowing nearly 25 points per game. Perhaps most troubling for the Eagles is that they’ve allowed seven plays of 40 yards or more. Only the Green Bay Packers have been worse in that category this season. Philadelphia allowed just six such plays total in 2017 and 10 in 2016.

Stopping that trend would help an Eagles team currently tied for first in the NFC East with the Cowboys. As the two rivals prepare to face each other for the first time this year, Mills should provide a much-needed boost coming off a disastrous 38-20 loss to the Vikings.

Making matters more interesting is that Mills is in the final season of a four-year, $2.4 million deal with Philly. It’s clear he’s ready for the league to notice his return.

If nothing else, it’s safe to say heading back to Texas sure has Mills ready to put on a show.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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