Official: Eagles activate Jalen Mills’ 21-day practice window

The Philadelphia Eagles activated Jalen Mills’ 21-day practice window today, according to an official announcement from the team.

This news was expected. Doug Pederson had said on Monday that he expects Mills to practice this week.

It should be noted that this news does NOT mean that Mills has been activated to the 53-man roster. He is still on the reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.

The Eagles can activate Mills to the 53 at any point within the next 21 days. Given that he hasn’t played in about a year due to a foot injury, the team will want to see how he handles practice before committing a roster spot on him.

Pederson made it sound like Mills has a chance to play against the Dallas Cowboys this week but he didn’t fully commit to that possibility. Pederson also acknowledged that Mills will likely be on a pitch count even if he does play.

Looking at it, we’re going to incorporate Jalen Mills a little bit this week in practice. We’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week, and if he’s capable, maybe there’s an opportunity there. [...] You have to be careful with Jalen, number one. He hasn’t played in a while. That’s why the practice is so important this week for him. I think you still have to have a plan. Obviously if he can’t go 60 minutes, I don’t think it would be smart on our part to put him out there for a full 60 minute game if he’s ready to go.

The Eagles currently have two open roster spots after waiving both cornerback Ryan Lewis and linebacker Zach Brown on Monday. Mills could take one of those two spots if he shows good progress in practice this week.

In the (unlikely) event that Mills is not activated during the 21-day window, he’ll have to miss the rest of the 2019 season.