The preseason compliments are nice and everything, but Eagles Secondary Coach Mike Pellegrino takes them for what they are truly worth: A whole lot of not much.

As the world heaps praise on the team's trio of cornerback talents – led by All-Pro players Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, along with first-year Eagle Riq Woolen – Pellegrino is taking a much more pragmatic approach.

"I've always felt like the preseason expectations are great, that's nice, but let's see how we do when the ball is snapped. That's always been my thing, because it's a long season and you're playing corner and you could be playing great 59 out of 60 plays, but everybody is going to be talking about that one play," said Pellegrino, a coach with New England and Buffalo from 2015-2025 after his professional lacrosse career ended. "So, we just need to be consistent throughout the entire year and that's the goal.

"Three bad snaps isn't good enough."

Pellegrino works with Joe Kasper in the defensive backfield working the various coverage combinations required in the Vic Fangio defense. Versatility is a plus and players like DeJean and Michael Carter and Jonathan Jones give the coaching staff some levers to pull for good production.

His job: Get the players better. Bottom line.

"Every day, I see growth and improvement," said Pellegrino, a two-time Super Bowl-winning assistant during his time with the Patriots.

In the context of the marathon regular season, the Eagles are going to need every player on the roster, including the practice squad, to contribute in a positive way, to impact the team, and to help deliver victories.

Things change in this defense week to week, quarter to quarter, sometimes possession to possession.

The coaches change with it. That is a very important rule of engagement.

"You're probably always trying to look at what can give you a little bit of an edge as a defense. And in that context, you know, when you're looking at, man, maybe we should do this or maybe we should do that or we should study this team and what did they do on third down or what did they do on second-and-pass? And you look in those scenarios, we're always tweaking. We're not ever sitting static," Kasper said. "And because of that, you're constantly learning and evolving, both as an individual coach, which gives you an advantage as an individual coach, but also as a unit too."

Washington comes to town in Week 1 with an array of talented wide receivers, a quarterback who can make every throw, a playmaker at tight end in John Bates. When they get it going, the Commanders are a handful for any defense, and they've got a new offensive coordinator in David Blough.

The Eagles have to be ready for anything and everything from sideline to sideline.

"We're all DBs (defensive backs)," Pellegrino said. "Guys can play in multiple spots and the more athletic you are, the more you can do and the better it is for our team. That's kind of the way it is for us.

"Consistency is what you strive for every day. Perfection is what you strive for and you're never going to achieve it, but you're trying to get as close to it as possible."

The first big challenge, the quest to be perfect, for this Eagles defense and the secondary as a whole, happens on September 13. The coaching staff has so many pieces to work with – from the group of cornerbacks to talented second-year safety Andrew Mukuba and veteran safety Marcus Epps – and the week ahead is one to prepare for the first of five months of test after test after test.

"We pride ourselves on being super multiple down to the techniques that we play," Kasper said, "and that's something you need in this league. There are no plays off. Everything is a test."