Philadelphia’s cornerback room looks a bit different than it did in 2024. Darius Slay departed after the season, removing a veteran captain who was a vocal leader. Mitchell is a self-described “laid-back guy,” and he said he’s not trying to replace Slay, but he also knows his role has changed since last season.
“I think it’s just been a nice process, starting from his rookie year, all the way through,” Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said. “He’s a guy that works very, very hard at it. Hasn’t deviated from his process, still goes through the same extra meetings that he did as a rookie, still doing them now. That’s why he’s a good player.”
One of the biggest differences for Mitchell is following the opposing team’s best receiver in certain games. That wasn’t something he had done before, and it felt odd at first when he tried it during Training Camp, but he quickly found his footing.
It’s a testament to the kind of player and worker Mitchell is for Fangio to trust him in a new and important role.
“I take pride in that,” Mitchell said about shadowing receivers.
It clearly hasn’t affected his production as Mitchell leads all NFL CBs with seven games allowing 10-or-fewer yards in coverage, according to Next Gen Stats.
One of those games came in Week 4 against the Buccaneers, where he allowed two catches on nine targets for 6 yards, forcing five incompletions, per Pro Football Focus. That performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
“That was lit. I was happy,” he said. “If it happens, you know, I’m happy about it. I appreciate the small, little wins and successes, and I’ve just been super focused and super locked in this year, just trying to just hone in on each and every week.”