The Philadelphia Eagles have been a dominant defensive team since their bye week. A huge part of that dominance has been the introduction of Cooper DeJean into the starting lineup. DeJean has immediately become one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL and has been a weapon on defense. He is part of what is becoming the best young defense in the NFL.
Cooper DeJean Has Ignited Eagles Defense
Instant Impact
The biggest personnel change the Eagles made during their bye week was replacing Avonte Maddox with Cooper Dejean. While there are other factors, that change has coincided with a massive defensive turnaround. Before the bye, the Eagles were allowing 24 points per game and had just been gashed by the Buccaneers. However, since the introduction of DeJean, the Eagles are allowing 13.8 points per game, and are 6-0. Other young players, such as Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean, and Quinyon Mitchell have stepped up as well. However, DeJean has been a massive difference-maker.
Cooper Dejean has a unique skill set, which the Eagles have utilized well. He combines impressive coverage ability with physical tackling. This combination is what makes him such a strong fit as a slot corner, despite playing on the outside in college. During the draft, there was a lot of discussion about Dejean’s best position, and the Eagles have found a perfect fit. His fourth down stop against Ja’Marr Chase is a perfect example of how well his skillset translates to the slot. Not many cornerbacks would be able to get a dynamic athlete like Chase to the ground as DeJean did. DeJean combines that tackling ability with elite athleticism, which allows him to cover shifty slot receivers. This impressive combination of skills has made DeJean a massive difference-maker for the Eagles defense.
Defensive Rebuild
Drafting DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell has turned an aging Eagles secondary into one of the best young groups in the league. General Manager Howie Roseman saw two elite talents fall into his lap on draft night and pounced. The defense is now a fearsome unit filled with young talent. Getting Dejean in the second round has proven to be a massive steal. Throughout the draft process, he was seen as a first-round talent but fell to pick 40. One of the reasons was teams did not know his true position. However, this positional ambiguity is now an asset for the Eagles. He is already an elite slot corner, but in the future, he could replace Darius Slay as the team’s starting outside corner.
DeJean can play multiple positions at a high level, which is such a useful tool for Vic Fangio. He is developing into a chess piece that Fangio can use all over the secondary. The Eagles have a plethora of young defensive talent, and DeJean has been one of the most impactful ones. To add a cherry on top, he is a dynamic punt returner, who has already had some nice returns. DeJean has yet to record an interception in the NFL, but he had seven in college, meaning he has the ball skills. He is already one of the best slot corners in the NFL and is just scratching the surface of his abilities at just 21 years old.
Main Image: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
