Before he ascended to one of the most dominant young defensive backs in the NFL, Copper DeJean overcame a somewhat awkward stint in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s dog house.
DeJean injured his hamstring while training back home in Iowa last offseason, which led to a slow start to training camp when the Philadelphia Eagles kicked things off last summer. While DeJean did return to full offseason activities and started at cornerback in Philly’s final preseason game, Fangio opted to leave the then-rookie on the bench, instead rolling with converted safety Avonte Maddox as his starting nickel corner.
Maddox was less than stellar in that role, and after the team’s early bye week, Fangio finally turned to DeJean at nickel in a Week 6 home game against the Cleveland Browns. He flashed immediately with a sack, three solo tackles and a near flawless debut in coverage, and he barely left the field from that point forward. DeJean ended the year as PFF’s highest-graded cornerback at 86.3.
Fangio met with the local media in Philly during OTAs on Tuesday, and he confirmed a new role for DeJean that solidifies him as one of the pillars of his secondary heading into 2025.
Per Fangio, DeJean will stay at the nickel spot this season, but he could also see time at both boundary corner and safety in Philly’s base defense (when the opposition has two wide receivers on the field).
This is obviously a major departure from the start of DeJean’s rookie campaign, when he only saw the field in Philly’s dime defense, or when extra defensive backs were needed on the field. He appears set to be deployed like a Swiss Army Knife, like he was with the Iowa Hawkeyes, which shows the level of confidence Fangio has in the 22-year-old entering his second year in the league.
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This announcement should bring added attention to the Eagles’ looming training camp battles at No. 2 boundary corner (Kelee Ringo vs. Adoree Jackson) and No. 2 safety (Sydney Brown vs. rookie Drew Mukuba). Much will depend on the matchup, but in most cases, Dejean will stay on the field in Philly’s base defense, sending either Ringo or Brown, for example, off the field.
DeJean’s rookie season was legendary in Philadelphia, cemented by his pick-six off Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles’ defense soared to No. 1 in the NFL when DeJean entered the starting lineup in 2024, so it’s a good thing he’ll never be leaving the field when healthy in 2025.
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