Doug Pederson's perspective on Jalen Mills might be just a little bit different than yours.
Where some fans may see the worst cornerback in NFL history, the heir apparent to Izel Jenkins, Pederson sees a 24-year-old Super Bowl champ who's a sure tackler, a fearless defender and a natural leader.
"Jalen has actually been playing extremely well," Pederson said Monday.
He actually has.
Mills has drawn the ire of some Eagles fans because of the DeSean Jackson 75-yard touchdown that opened the loss to the Buccaneers and a couple pass interference penalties he committed in the win over the Colts Sunday.
But the bottom line is Mills is a very good cornerback, a former seventh-round pick who played extremely well during the Super Bowl run, and like every young cornerback, he's a work in progress.
The D-Jack TD we've been through. That was equal parts the fault of Malcolm Jenkins vacating the post, Ronald Darby not getting home with a blitz and Mills just getting beat by the greatest big-play receiver the NFL has seen in the last 50 years.
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The pass interference calls Sunday were the first on Mills this year. He was cited for four last year - for 7, 9, 21 and 40 yards.
Pederson explained specifically what Mills needs to stop doing to avoid getting cited for DPI.
"The flags (Sunday), obviously he's got to get his off-hand [off the receiver]," Pederson said. "He's got a right or left hand that is going for the ball. The off-hand is in a position where he's hooking. He's just got to be cognizant of that and aware of that and try and get it off."
So that's the negative. Those are big plays, and Mills has to do a better job avoiding penalties.
Then there are the positives.
And there are positives.
"He's always in position," Pederson said. "Seems like he's right there to make the play.
"He's physical, he's tough, he can come up and make tackles. He's been solid quite, honestly, at the corner position. Gives you stability on both sides with he and Darby.
"So [he's] a young player that's going to continue with more snaps just getting better and better and he's going to understand the game a little bit more and his technique."
Mills had three interceptions and a touchdown last year and ranked second on the team behind Patrick Robinson.
Despite the DPIs on Sunday, Mills actually had one of his best games in terms of coverage and tackling.
Pederson said he's been impressed with Mills' mental strength and his ability to shrug off a bad play and focus on the next play.
"Yeah, I think with any athlete, any player, especially a young player, the quicker you can forget about it and move on, the better you're going to be," Pederson said.
"He can do that. Whether it's a flag or a pass or something, he can just forget about it and move on."
Mills doesn't turn 25 until next spring. With 20 career starts, he already has the third-most starts by an Eagles cornerback under 25 in the last 25 years - behind only Lito Sheppard (34) and Bobby Taylor (33).
And keep this in mind:
Including the postseason, the Eagles are 19-4 when Mills starts.
The Eagles have the No. 3 defense in the NFL since opening day last year.
Opposing quarterbacks have the seventh-worst QB rating against the Eagles over the last two years.
The Eagles have allowed the sixth-fewest pass plays of 20 yards or more since opening day 2017.
Mills must be doing something right.
He can play better, no doubt, and I believe he will. But the Jalen Mills we're watching every Sunday is already a pretty good player.
