When Cooper DeJean was drafted, he joined an Eagles secondary which underwent a number of changes in 2024. The second-rounder played at both corner and safety during his college tenure, but the team has narrowed down his role for the time being. 
“Yeah, right now he’s the backup nickel,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said (via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia). “For the first week, he was starting in dime, as the dime DB. So he was having to learn the dime and be the backup nickel. With all the time he’s lost, we’re going to focus him at nickel right now and see if he can make good enough progress there.”
DeJean exceled at Iowa while wearing multiple hats for the team’s defense. He totaled seven interceptions (three of which were returned for touchdowns) across his final two years with the Hawkeyes, earning All-American honors in 2023. A fractured fibula ended DeJean’s season and left him on the mend until August, which limited his time during training camp ahead of his rookie campaign.
Fangio confirmed during the summer DeJean would be used at corner rather than safety, but whether or not he would be used on the inside remained to be seen at that time. First-rounder Quinyon Mitchell has, as expected, started each of Philadelphia’s first three games while playing on the boundary opposite veteran Darius Slay. Avonte Maddox – who was released in March but returned to the team one month later – has logged a 78% snap share in the slot so far, and he will continue to be relied on in a first-team role while DeJean develops.
After posting defensive stops was akin to pulling teeth for much of the 2023 campaign, revamping the secondary was a key Eagles offseason priority. Both Mitchell and DeJean are positioned to be central figures in the team’s pass defense (which currently sits 17th in the NFL) for years to come. The latter has only logged seven defensive snaps to date, but he has handled a notable special teams workload during that time. With Maddox attached to a one-year deal, DeJean could find himself in the starting lineup by next season after an extended period working at one position.
Hopefully Cooper brings the Dijon when he makes a tackle