At the moment Philadelphia Eagles fans saw cornerback Adoree' Jackson go down with a concussion in the Dallas Cowboys game in Week 12, there were questions about what defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would do at cornerback.
Fangio decided to move Cooper DeJean from the slot to outside corner and have Michael Carter II come off the bench to play in the slot. DeJean had a rough time on the outside against Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, resulting in a comeback 24-21 win for Dallas over Philly.
When the media asked Fangio in his press conference about DeJean's play on the outside, the defensive coordinator didn't mince words that he struggled, but also gave the second-year corner a pass.
“He got beat a couple of times. I thought he was tight, just at the catch point got beaten. It's going to happen. I don't know if surprising is the right word. Guys get beat sometimes and those are good receivers. They have two top-notch receivers.”
“I mean, when you’ve got to change gears like that, it always comes at a price. But he's been playing corner in base, so it's not like he hasn't been out there.”
DeJean had his struggles, but he is still one of the best
It is indeed a tough transition from slot corner to outside corner with different responsibilities and techniques that make it hard to adjust on the fly. The level of competition can be tough as well, with DeJean only having less than a half to adapt to Pickens and Lamb's game after playing in the slot.
That doesn't change the fact that DeJean is one of the best corners in the NFL. Pro Football Focus has him ranked 19th among 111 cornerbacks in the NFL, with an overall grade of 72.2. For the season, he has 67 tackles, nine pass deflections, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one interception.
DeJean has really come into his own with his tackling skills and has been improving in coverage. While the coverage issues were there in the Cowboys games, don't forget his stellar game against the Minnesota Vikings, where he locked up Justin Jefferson at the goal line twice.
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Players are entitled to have off days, so that's all it was for DeJean. He's still an elite corner who can continue to grow his game, whether he's in the slot or on the outside.