Rookie Cooper DeJean ready for bigger role after bye week originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Cooper DeJean looks back at his only preseason action and laughs.
“It was ugly,” DeJean said on Wednesday. “I didn’t play well at all. I just feel like since that I’ve learned so much more about the defense and really all the positions and how they help each other, just to be more comfortable.”
That preseason finale was just about a month and a half ago, but the Eagles’ second-round pick thinks he has come a long way in that time. And now as the Eagles return from their early Week 5 bye week, all signs are pointing to a much bigger role for DeJean the rest of his rookie season.
Veteran nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox has struggled early this season and now would be a logical time to get DeJean into the action.
DeJean, 21, on Wednesday said the Eagles haven’t told him that he’s going to be a starter but if his role does increase, the rookie believes he’s ready.
“I’ve gotten more and more comfortable each week, being out there, getting more reps,” DeJean said. “I’ve been preparing like I’m going to play. That wouldn’t change if my role changed. I’m going to go out there and still prepare the same way.”
Had DeJean not suffered a hamstring injury before training camp that forced him to miss a few weeks, there’s a good chance he would have already been the Eagles’ nickel corner. But that injury clearly put him a bit behind.
In Week 1 of the season, DeJean was the Eagles’ extra defensive back in the dime package but that role was pulled from him in Week 2. The Eagles wanted him to focus on being a nickel cornerback — a move that foreshadowed an eventual change at the position — and have been working him in with the first team in practice from time to time.
“We’ll see how it goes this week,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Avonte has done a good job, Avonte has been a good player here for a long time and pleased with the things that he’s doing. We’ll see how the reps go this week.
“Cooper’s obviously got more on his plate than he has in the past with the punt return duties and some of the things that he’s doing on special teams. Again, pleased with how Avonte is going but we’ll continue to work the reps for all the guys this week and see where we are at the end of the week.”
While Sirianni is obviously going to protect his players, Maddox has not played well. The 28-year-old has struggled at the nickel corner spot after mostly playing safety in training camp. Of 101 qualified cornerbacks, ProFootballFocus ranks Maddox at No. 94 through five weeks of the season.
It’s not like switching from Maddox to DeJean at nickel is going to magically cure the Eagles’ defense but it might help. And if DeJean is going to be a big part of the future of the defense, a move now could make the Eagles a better team in December and January.
Despite knowing that DeJean was probably going to take his job eventually, Maddox hasn’t been gate-keeping any secrets.
“Ever since I came in here and started learning that position, I’ve asked him questions every single day,” DeJean said. “He’s been willing enough to help me learn that position each and every day. He answers all my questions. It’s been good to watch him on tape and see how he operates and ask him what he sees in certain coverages, certain plays. It’s been good to have a veteran guy like him to learn from.”
In addition to any expanded role on defense, DeJean will remain the Eagles’ primary punt returner for at least the next several weeks as Britain Covey recovers from a shoulder injury that landed him on IR.
It’s a lot on his plate, but as DeJean pointed out on Wednesday, returning punts and playing defense was his role at Iowa. So he feels at home with a lot of responsibility.
Even though DeJean has played just eight defensive snaps through four games this season, he’s getting a ton of work in practice and feels way more comfortable in Vic Fangio’s defense these days.
Where has that comfort come from?
“I think just getting out there and seeing it, really, seeing where I have to be in certain coverages in our defense,” DeJean said. “Just getting a feel for where my help’s going to be in each call, knowing where my help’s going to be. Knowing where everybody is on the field, just so I have a better understanding of how I can play my man and my different leverages too.”
When DeJean looks back at his poor preseason performance on Aug. 24, the thing that stands out most is how uncomfortable he looked in his first NFL action.
“The day after, I came in and watched it with the DB coaches and just figured out what I needed to work on,” he said. “Since that, I’ve been trying to work on those things. The biggest thing was just being comfortable in the defense with more reps that I get.”
It seems like DeJean is about to get a lot more reps. It’s time to see what the kid can do.
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