Through the first four weeks of the regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to be the same old team that everyone saw spiral out of control in 2023. Despite Eagles general manager Howie Roseman making several additions on defense and hiring an experienced defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio, Philadelphia’s defense still struggled mightily.
In the first four games of this season, the Eagles allowed 24.0 points per game and 365.8 total yards per game. Philadelphia’s defense looked lost at times, as the Eagles somehow had 33 missed tackles through the first four weeks of the regular season.
As the Eagles entered a much-needed BYE week in Week 5, many wondered what changes could be made to help Philadelphia’s struggling defense. Luckily for the Eagles, Roseman found the answer to their problems several months ago in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
When the Eagles selected former Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, many wondered if he could play outside cornerback at the next level. Yet Philadelphia wasn’t fixated on where DeJean would play, they understood that he would simply make the team better.
A much needed difference maker for the Eagles
After recovering from a broken fibula that he suffered at Iowa in 2023 and then a hamstring injury that forced him to miss most of training camp in Philadelphia, DeJean was finally ready for a bigger role in October.
Following Philadelphia’s bye week, DeJean replaced Avonte Maddox as the Eagles’ starting slot cornerback against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. DeJean immediately made his presence known in his starting debut, as he unlocked several layers of Fangio’s defensive scheme that were seemingly unavailable before.
Through the first four weeks of the regular season, the Eagles utilized a defensive back as a blitzer a total of five times. In DeJean’s starting debut, he was used as a blitzer on three plays and recorded two total pressures.
Prior to DeJean’s arrival as the starting slot cornerback, the Eagles struggled with missed tackles. After missing 33 tackles through the first four games of the regular season, Philadelphia’s defense has missed just 11 tackles in their last three games.
DeJean’s aggressiveness was on full display against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, when he closed in on All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase like a heat-seeking missile for a tackle and a critical stop on fourth down. It’s clear that DeJean’s passion and presence has resonated throughout Philadelphia’s entire defense.
Fangio was asked about DeJean’s impressive play against Chase in Week 8 and he praised the 21-year-old cornerback for his vision and practice habits.
“He did a good job keeping his eyes on it,” Fangio said. “He’s had that play in practice in the last few weeks with guys trying to mess with you with the motion and get your eyes off him.”
“He did a good job keeping his eyes on him the entire time. That’s really what allowed him to make the play.”
Fangio isn’t the only one praising DeJean for his performance since making his starting debut in Week 6. According to Pro Football Focus, DeJean has the second-highest coverage grade among all cornerbacks this season.
While it’s certainly exciting to see DeJean making plays, Philadelphia’s defense as a whole has taken a massive step forward over the last three weeks of the regular season. Since Week 6, the Eagles are allowing just 12.0 points per game and 214.3 total yards per game.
Although many were skeptical about praising Philadelphia’s defense after back-to-back strong performances against two mediocre offenses in the Browns and the New York Giants, Fangio’s unit made a statement against the Bengals in Week 8.
Back in April, teams were worried about where DeJean would play in the NFL. Now offenses are worried about where he is lined up on Philadelphia’s defense. It’s officially time to take the Eagles’ defense seriously and it all started with a key change made during the bye week.
Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports
