ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Eagles have a plethora of young, talented cornerbacks on their roster, but after losing Patrick Robinson to the New Orleans Saints in free agency, what they don't have is a clear answer at nickel cornerback.

"That's an area, head coach Doug Pederson said Tuesday, "that we'll have to address this spring."

How the Eagles will address that need is unclear as none of the cornerbacks on their roster have spent more than a handful of snaps at nickel cornerback in the NFL. When asked at the NFL Annual Meetings who might move inside, however, the first name that slipped off of Pederson's tongue might have been a clue as to who the team will first try in Robinson's spot.

"We've got some guys, whether it's Jalen Mills moving in there, whether it's [Darly] Worley moving in there, whoever that might be, we got some young guys," Pederson said. "[De'Vante] Bausby's on the outside, D.J. Killings - coming of young players there who can possible move and work inside. It'll be a little of an opportunity for those guys to try and grab that spot and solidify that fifth cornerback spot."

So is Mills the guy?

Pederson wouldn't commit to Mills being his new nickel cornerback, but reading between the lines, it sounds like that is the Eagles' plan. Mills has been perhaps the Eagles' best cornerback over the last two seasons, routinely matching up against the other team's top receiver and playing more snaps than any other cornerback on the roster.

The confidence that the coaches have in Mills seems like a big reason he is likely to get the first shot.

"I think he's comfortable enough. He understands. He's a versatile guy. If you ever needed him to play a safety spot he can go back. He's that type of athlete," Pederson said. "He's not just one position. He's versatile enough to now that we can be able to move him around a little bit. For a guy that was drafted where he was, late, he's been a real, real, big bright big spot for us these first two years."

The final clue that Mills might be the new nickel cornerback?

Here is Pederson's long, detailed description of what the Eagles look for in a nickel cornerback as opposed to a cornerback on the outside:

One, you gotta have a good change of direction, your short-area quickness. You don't necessarily have to have the long speed in there. You've got to be tough as nails, you know? You've got to be able to stick your nose in there and make a tackle. You're basically a smaller linebacker that can run, a little more athleticism. That's something that Patrick Robinson, as the year went, got better and better and better at. Making plays around the box. Tackling, but still being able to defend those short, twitchier, quicker receivers that we have in our division ... Those are things that we look for ... And you've got to be smart. You've got to be a thinker on your feet, you've got to be able to process information. [Outside] corners are different. Because they're kind of on the island, they're out there. It's either man or zone for them. It's a different deal. But inside, you're communicating with linebackers, you're communicating with d-ends, you're communicating with safeties. So you've got to have a little bit of that, as Jim [Schwartz] calls it, that high speed internet, to be able to process and be on your feet.

That certainly sounds like Mills, as he doesn't have the speed that either Ronald Darby or Sidney Jones has, he is the best tackler of the three and he has the most experience in the defense.

There will clearly be plenty of moving pieces in the secondary once training camp begins, but for now, it appears Mills will get the first crack at nickel cornerback.

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.