He's not even into his second season yet, and he wasn't even a starter until Week 6 of his rookie year, but Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean is already considered at the top of his game by an ESPN analyst.
Bill Barnwell, a senior writer for the Worldwide Leader's website who specializes in analytics, dubbed DeJean as the NFL's No. 1 slot cornerback in his list of the league's top "luxury players."
Barnwell's highly specified luxury positions include sixth offensive lineman, blitzing off-ball linebacker, blocking tight end, gadget player, and short-yardage running back among other under-appreciated roles in the league.
In giving the title of top slot corner to DeJean, who became the starter last year in Week 6, Barnwell notes the Eagles' major improvement defensively – from subpar to No. 1 – after defensive coordinator Vic Fangio subbed in the rookie for Avonte Maddox as the nickelback. The second-round pick from Iowa played more than 80 percent of the defensive snaps from his first start until Week 17.
Wrote Barnwell:
After ranking 26th in expected points added (EPA) per play on defense before the bye, the Eagles were comfortably the league's best defense by the same metric afterward – the second-place Texans ranked closer to 13th than they did to first...
It would probably be unrealistic to suggest DeJean was the single driver of those improvements, but he certainly served as a revelation in the secondary. From Week 6 onward, his minus-22.7 EPA allowed as the nearest defender in coverage ranked second in the league, with fellow rookie standout Nate Wiggins the only cornerback ahead of him, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He didn't allow a single touchdown on 68 targets. And while he didn't record any interceptions during the regular season, you might remember what he did to Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.
#GeoffMosherTake: While it's a little premature to be called No. 1 at any position with just 16 games and 9 starts of experience, DeJean's impact on Fangio's defense can't be understated. Could he already be the NFL's best slot corner? Sure, but don't dismiss some other nickelbacks who have also played at an extremely high level, including Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs and both Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton from the Ravens. Last year, Humphrey made his fourth Pro Bowl team and was first team All Pro for the second time in his career, playing 500 snaps in the slot, per PFF. McDuffie, who has two Super Bowl rings, made first-team All Pro in 2023 primarily as a slot corner (608 snaps) and made second team last year.
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