Had Cooper DeJean not missed significant time in training camp with a hamstring injury, he might already be the Eagles’ nickel cornerback.
But that time is probably coming soon.
After four weeks in the 2024 season, the Eagles enter the bye week with a 2-2 record and plenty of corrections and changes to make. One of them seems pretty obvious: Veteran Avonte Maddox has struggled and it might be time to make the switch to the rookie DeJean.
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“Cooper is closing in on being ready where we just, at some point, we’ll put him out there,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said on Tuesday.
“But Avonte has played fine in some areas and obviously he’s had some plays that he’d like to have back. Like all of us, including me. But yeah, [DeJean is] getting better.”
DeJean, 21, has played minimally on defense this season with just eight total defensive snaps. He began the season as the Eagles’ extra defensive back in the dime package but then the Eagles pulled him from that role in Week 2 — it went to Kelee Ringo — because they wanted DeJean to focus on the nickel spot.
So for the last few weeks, DeJean has been the Eagles’ primary backup nickel but has also worked in with the first team on occasion too.
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“It’s good to be able to focus on one spot, kind of get settled in there a little bit,” DeJean said on Sept. 19 after the Eagles made the decision to play him at just one spot. “It’s been good for me. I’m feeling pretty comfortable at that position now that I’m just focusing on it. That’s been good.”
Even if DeJean were to have some struggles at the nickel position, making the move now could make the Eagles a better team in December and January. The best combination of defensive backs could ultimately include DeJean inside so waiting too long wouldn’t make sense.
The Eagles have shown some hesitation to play rookies under Nick Sirianni but Fangio certainly didn’t hesitate with first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell. And he shouldn’t with DeJean either.
After Maddox played mostly safety in training camp, the Eagles elected to start him at the nickel beginning in Week 1. That happened because they liked the idea of Mitchell staying outside instead of bumping inside on nickel downs, as he had done late in the summer. Mitchell has been good on the outside but Maddox’s play in the slot has been concerning.
Earlier in his career, Maddox was one of the better nickel corners in the NFL but he’s off to a shaky start in 2024. He has given up 10 catches on 19 targets for 115 yards in the first quarter of the season and had a huge missed tackle on Chris Godwin in Tampa on Sunday. Out of 115 qualified cornerbacks, ProFootballFocus right now ranks Maddox at No. 86.
To Maddox’s credit, he has been a great resource for DeJean since the rookie arrived in the draft.
“We play the same position so I’m always asking him questions,” DeJean said last month. “Just talking about things that we see on the field, which is good. It’s good to have him. He’s been in the league for a while now so it’s good to have him as a resource for me outside of the coaching staff.”
In addition to his role as the backup nickel cornerback, DeJean has been a big special teams contributor. And with the injury to Britain Covey (on IR with a fractured scapula), DeJean is now the Eagles’ primary punt returner.
Maybe it’s putting too much on his plate to make him the nickel corner now too. But the Eagles fell in love with DeJean during the pre-draft process and traded up to No. 40 in the second round to draft him for a reason.
It’s time to see what he can do.
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