2020 NFL training camp Eagles Jalen Mills prepared for uncertainty as he switches positions numbers

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2020 NFL training camp Eagles Jalen Mills prepared for uncertainty as he switches positions numbers

In a season sure to be full of uncertainty, is as prepared as anyone else in the NFL.Mills, the cornerback-turned-safety, spent his offseason in Dallas. Before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the country to a standstill, Mills and his girlfriend went to a beauty store to load up on the green dye he uses for his signature hairstyle.He did it because training in the Texas sun would make the color fade faster, but it also had him well prepared for the shutdown in the ensuing months."When they John Ross Jersey started shutting everything down, we were still able to dye it and throw the green on there every now and then," Mills says. "We played that the right way. The green is still here. It didn't fall out."When it comes to reporting for training camp Tuesday, Mills has been prepared for that, too. He's been back in New Jersey this month ready to report to Eagles camp, and more than a week ago he took it upon himself to get tested for COVID-19. He calls it a "just-because" test, and the results came back negative.But what he didn't want to do is report to camp on Tuesday and find out he was positive but asymptomatic, which would put him quarantine to begin camp."Camp is usually four-to-five weeks. I don't have time to sit out two weeks because I was asymptomatic," he explains.So his hair is right. His Cordy Glenn Jersey health is good. And with a new season, a new number. Referencing Kobe Bryant's switch from No. 8 to 24, Mills feels he maxed his old number out. In four years as a Philly corner, Mills wore No. 31 and won a Super Bowl in his rookie season. He goes into this season, his first at safety, wearing No. 21."It was kind of like me recreating myself," Mills says. "I'm going to be in a different position. The fans, players and coaching staff will be able to see me from a different point of view, and I'm going to see myself from a different point of view."So about this position switch. When he signed his one-year deal with the Eagles at the start of free agency, Mills agreed to go from corner to safety. He had made the transition before when he starred at LSU, but he still wanted some expert advice.He worked out with Deion Sanders and talked on the phone with , a former Defensive Player of the Year who played about every defensive backfield position. Mills asked Woodson if he should add some bulk to his 6-foot, 191-pound frame, and Woodson told him no."His mindset back then was if anything happens and I'm playing safety and the cornerback's shoestring pops or the team puts their No. 1 receiver in the slot, Cedric Ogbuehi Jersey I have to be able to run with these wide receivers," Mills says. "The biggest thing was to get as strong as po sible but don't worry about bulking A.J. Green Jersey up because you still have to be able to run."He also got some tips from the guy he replaced. Mills remains close with , whose option wasn't picked up by the team in the offseason. Upon returning to New Jersey, Mills linked up with Jenkins and his trainer this month to train and, yes, get more tips.One of the best pointers Jenkins gave Mills was to always make sure his stance remains the same pre-snap no matter what the play is. Smart quarterbacks will study tape and pick up cues, Jenkins warned, so don't give them a reason to know you're blitzing.Which is going to be a whole 'nother thing for Mills. Mi sing from his stat sheet is a sack, and he's extremely excited about getting the chance this season to rectify that."Oh my God, yes," Mills says. "As far as with our defense for Philadelphia, we're a team that I think my four years in Philly we've probably blitzed our corners maybe a total of three times, maybe four. I think now me being able to blitz, it Joe Burrow Jersey 's just going to add more value not only to myself but also to the team because now I'm getting the chance to make more plays for the team."The former seventh-round pick signed a one-year deal worth $4 million this offseason. He battled a foot injury last season and this year at his new position has to prove his worth for a big payday next offseason.He, of course, is ready."I've always been a person who has bet on myself a million times throughout my life," Mills says. "Coming off injury I didn't feel I was that same person. I didn't have that same speed and power. Now getting a chance to have a full offseason under my belt definitely is me betting on myself again."
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