In a league where teams are throwing for more yards than ever, the Philadelphia Eagles are happy to have Cooper DeJean, the 22-year-old defensive back who has become the NFL's premier slot cornerback in just his second professional season.
Taking the field for 98 percent fo the Eagles' defensive snaps through Week 8, DeJean has been on absolute fire, recording 52 tackles, four tackles for a loss and six passes defensed so far this season while giving interior receivers fits when deployed in the slot.
Asked about DeJean's play so far in 2025, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio thanked the other 31 teams in the NFL for not picking the Iowa cornerback last spring, as it allowed the Eagles to add a darn good nickle for years to come.
“No, we got very lucky that he lasted till the middle of the second round. I think the reason he did is because he only played corner in college, at least his last year,” Fangio noted. “I don’t think everybody was sure [if he] was he a first-round corner, second-round corner, third-round corner. I don’t think the league as a whole had a feel for his versatility because he didn’t play it in college. He’s really a d**n good nickel. Probably one of the best nickels in the league, and we’re playing him at corner in the base. He could play safety if we needed him to. He’s a defensive back, but really, he’s just a good football player.”
So, while DeJean is a truly elite interior option for the Eagles in the slot, would Philadelphia consider moving him to the outside full-time because of the lack of production from players like Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson? Fangio isn't quite there yet, but he has at least considered it.
“We considered it,” Fangio noted. “But when you have one of the better players at a certain position, and it’s an important position where you get involved more, you hate to take a really good player at one position to maybe not be as good of a player or impactful of a player at another position. But it’s definitely something that we’ve talked about.”
Will the Eagles eventually stick DeJean outside and give a player like Mac McWilliams or Parry Nicholas a shot inside full-time? Or will Howie Roseman follow in Les Snead's footsteps and trade for a cornerback before the month comes to an end, giving a new player the bye week to learn a new playbook? Fans will find out soon enough.
