PHILADELPHIA — In his second season, Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean has become one of the NFL’s most valuable defensive players, excelling at both shutting down slot and boundary receivers, dominating against the run, effectively blitzing quarterbacks and destroying blockers to make tackles, among other areas of impact.
DeJean has the eighth-best coverage grade on Pro Football Focus this season, but what makes him unique is his strong open-field tackling and ability to defeat blocks. Primarily playing from the nickel position, he has amassed 26 solo tackles and two tackles for loss in five games.
“He’s built different,” Eagles rookie safety Drew Mukuba said Tuesday about DeJean’s skill set. “You really can’t put a title on him or put him under any category. If he had to play linebacker, he would be able to do it, honestly.”
Though the Eagles have several talented defenders, DeJean’s versatility arguably makes his role most essential to their success.
In 2024, Philadelphia’s Super-Bowl-winning defense became dominant after DeJean replaced Avonte Maddox in Week 6 and played at an elite level for his entire rookie season. Although the Eagles currently rank 20th in the NFL in total defense, the numbers do not accurately reflect how well they are playing, particularly in their secondary, where DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell have become one of the league’s top cornerback duos.
If DeJean continues to play like an All-Pro, Philadelphia’s defense could again return to the top of the NFL rankings later in the season.
“Real versatile, covers like no other, tackles like no other,” Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo said when asked about DeJean’s impact. “Man, for the run-gap scheme, I would say he definitely makes (Eagles defensive coordinator) Vic Fangio’s job a lot easier with how dynamic a player he is.”
Fangio, one of the best defensive minds in the NFL for over three decades, has done a good job of maximizing DeJean’s skill set, including sending him on a cornerback blitz that nearly resulted in a fumble in their Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos.
“He’s just a hell of a football player that I’m glad we have,” Fangio said.
Looking ahead to Thursday night, Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart could struggle against the Eagles’ defense, especially if DeJean takes away their underneath routes.
Similarly, Giants wide receivers could struggle to create yards after the catch when DeJean is in their vicinity.
“He is not scared,” Mukuba said. “He’s trying to go make the tackle. ... He’s able to take on those bigger guys and still be able to bring the guy down.”
At 6-0, 198 pounds, DeJean is not undersized by any means, but he is powerful for his size. Last December, he picked up and slammed 6-2, 252-pound running back Derrick Henry into the turf.
“He’s violent and very aggressive,” Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. said.
New to the team, Eagles edge rusher Za’Darius Smith has only known DeJean for four weeks, but in that little amount of time, he has been impressed with DeJean’s maturity.
“I would say his preparation, the way he practices, the way he is in the film room, how he takes notes,” Smith said. “And as you can see, it’s showing on the field.”
DeJean’s versatility challenges NFL offensive coordinators in every area. For the Eagles, his skills let Fangio vary his defensive looks.
“He’s the guy for the job, man,” Smith said. “He shows every play that he could be the best at the nickel position.”
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