Last week, Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean took some reps at outside cornerback in an Organized Team Activity (OTA) practice at the NovaCare Complex and afterward said he was told he'd get more reps there throughout the offseason camps.
On Tuesday, before another OTA, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio heaped another spoonful onto DeJean's plate when he said that the second-year defensive back is also in the mix at safety in certain personnel groupings.
DeJean last year predominantly played the slot cornerback position in nickel for the NFL's top-ranked defense, a position that placed him on the field for almost 90 percent of the snaps between his Week 6 debut as a starter and Week 17.
Fangio, in his first press conference of the new league year, said he would like to keep DeJean at nickelback for 2025 but added this:
"And then in our base package, we'll find a spot for him – either at corner or safety," the coordinator said.
In base defense, the Eagles have three down linemen and two outside edge defenders for a five-man front, followed by two off-ball linebackers, two corners and two safeties. It's a defensive look usually used in first-down, short-yardage and goal-line situations, or when they think the opponent plans to run the ball.
In nickel, the Eagles took mammoth defensive tackle Jordan Davis off the field and subbed in DeJean as a third corner to play the slot, or inside, position. DeJean thrived there, capping his rookie season with an unforgettable pick-six of Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl blowout.
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DeJean practicing in base defense, at corner and safety, signifies two developments for the 2025 Eagles defense.
First, it means DeJean is likely to play all the snaps and no longer get subbed out as Fangio shows a commitment to getting his best personnel on the field at all times. It's a tall order for DeJean, who'll be moving around the defense depending on down and distance, although the majority of his snaps would still come at nickelback.
Second, it means that competition for starting jobs at multiple positions has another contestant.
DeJean will be quite busy this spring and summer, jockeying with Adoree' Jackson and Kelee Ringo for the outside corner spot in base and also rubbing elbows with rookie second-rounder Andrew Mukuba, third-year pro Sydney Brown and backup Tristin McCollum to start opposite Reed Blankenship at base safety.
"A lot of it will end up depending on how the rest of the guys develop and where do we most need him," Fangio said. "It will be determined by what's best for him and what's best for the team. What's best for the team will win out in that decision. But he's capable of playing corner and he's capable of playing safety."
The Eagles drafted the versatile DeJean 40th overall in 2024 out of Iowa, where he played all over the defensive backfield and returned punts. He was named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and was twice named All Big Ten.
Last week, after he was spotted at practice working at outside corner, DeJean said he would be willing to play anywhere.
"If I’m on the football field, that’s really all that matters,” he said. “If that’s where I fit in the defense that I’m in best, that’s where I can make the best impact for our defense, then that’s where I’ll be."
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