From 2002-2023, the Philadelphia Eagles simply refused to address their secondary early in multiple drafts.
Instead, as Philadelphia's secondary began to fluctuate against the rest of the league's passing offenses, the team chose to address the cornerback room specifically through free agency.
To some horrific results.
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) © James Lang-Imagn Images © James Lang-Imagn Images
That's in the past, though. Philadelphia addressed their holes in the secondary not just once but in back-to-back picks early in the 2024 Draft with the selections of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
The two rookies made an immediate impact.
Philadelphia finished first in the league against the pass for the second time in three seasons and a dramatic 30-team rise from the previous year. The inclusion of DeJean and Mitchell fundamentally changed how the organization played defense. It's no surprise either that they were key parts of the team winning Super Bowl LIX in a blowout contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The rise of DeJean and Mitchell has also left an impact on the rest of the position group. No longer to the Birds have to pay aging veterans and take fliers on former starters to help fill some of the gaps of the group.
They can trust the development of their youngsters.
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The Eagles showed what that meant through the first two weeks of free agency. Both starting cornerback Darius Slay, and former slot corner Avonte Maddox each left in free agency to new teams. Maddox recently signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions.
Would the Eagles have let Maddox walk if DeJean didn't look like the best nickel cornerback last season? Of course now.
It took the organization awhile to figure it out, but the Eagles addressing of the secondary in last year's draft has fundamentally changed their team for the better moving forward.
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This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 10:00 AM.