Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is known for being blunt and direct, but he’s also developed quite the reputation for his dry sense of humor during press conferences, exemplified by his comment when discussing Quinyon Mitchell’s interception drought.
“He’s still waiting for his first interception. He’ll be quick to remind you he’s got four in the postseason, but he’s still a virgin in the regular season.”
Mitchell has been a ball hawk in the playoffs, with four interceptions in five games, including two in last year’s Wild Card matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
The third-year pro has been in the right spots at the right times but has been unable to haul in any in the regular season. While the interception luck has not been on his side, Mitchell has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL since entering the league.
NFL.com’s “NFL Pro Insight” highlighted just how effective Mitchell was when playing boundary cornerback following the Eagles’ Week 9 bye.
From Week 10 through the end of the regular season, Mitchell lined up on the boundary on 74.1% of his defensive snaps. In those snaps, he allowed just six receptions on 29 targets while recording nine passes defensed. His 20.7% completion rate allowed was more than three times lower than the NFL average of 65.5% from that alignment. NFL.com noted that Mitchell had “more passes defensed (nine) than receptions allowed (six)” during that stretch.
The Eagles ranked eighth in passing yards allowed per game and fifth in points allowed per game. Mitchell earned a 74.4 grade from Pro Football Focus last season, 16th among NFL cornerbacks, landing him his first career first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. Mitchell's peers ranked him No. 47 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026.
Mitchell is reportedly having a great camp, with his hands marked as an improvement. On Monday, he notched an interception, jumping a dig route from Hollywood Brown. This morning, he secured another pick in one-on-one drills.
If his improved hands in training camp carry over to the regular season, Mitchell may finally be ready to turn his impressive coverage numbers into the interceptions Fangio has been waiting for.
