A key component of the Eagles’ offseason plan to overhaul their secondary is about to realize a spike in playing time. PHLY’s Zach Berman noted earlier this month that rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean was “closing in” on the starting slot cornerback job, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that he expects DeJean to take over slot duties for the team’s Week 6 date with the Browns (subscription required).
Philadelphia, whose porous secondary torpedoed their hopes of defending their NFC title in 2023, selected cornerback Quinyon Mitchell with the No. 22 overall pick of this year’s draft, and then added DeJean 18 picks later. While Mitchell has operated as a starting boundary corner from the jump, it has taken a little longer for DeJean to crack the starting lineup (though four games, he has appeared in just eight defensive snaps but 75 special teams snaps).
That is not terribly surprising, as DeJean sustained a fractured fibula last November that ended his collegiate career prematurely and kept him on the NFI list for the first several weeks of training camp. Though the Iowa product is valued for his ability to line up at both safety and corner, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently indicated that the club would have him focus his efforts on the nickel for the time being.
The presumptive promotion for DeJean will lead to a demotion for longtime Eagle Avonte Maddox. Released in a cost-cutting move this offseason only to be brought back via a modest one-year pact, Maddox has struggled in his familiar slot role, and Pro Football Focus presently grades him as the ninth-worst corner in the league out of 101 qualified players. The team initially planned to convert him to safety, and now that DeJean is healthy – and, per Fowler, “all caught up” with Fangio’s scheme – perhaps those plans will be put back into place.
The Philadelphia defense as a whole is in the bottom-10 in terms of both total yardage and passing yards allowed, so a shake-up is in order, and the team took advantage of its Week 5 bye to make some changes. This week’s release of linebacker Devin White was a part of those efforts, and replacing Maddox with the high upside of DeJean is another.