Cooper

DeJean

The Eagles’ front office bolstered the secondary by spending first- and second-round draft picks on CBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean this offseason, softening the loss of Rodgers for Week 1. Rodgers logged three straight limited participant designations this week so he is likely to return in time for Week 2.

DeJean, taken by the Eagles with the 40th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was sidelined with a hamstring injury in late July and early August, and is now working with the Eagles’ backup defense, both as an outside corner and slot corner. It’s unclear if Cooper is back at full strength following his hamstring injury. It would be a surprise if he weren’t a starter in Week 1 against Green Bay.

DeJean was “caught in an awkward position during offseason training”, injuring his hamstring. It is unrelated to any prior injury and he is expected to miss three weeks. Fowler reports the Eagles are confident that DeJean will recover quickly and contribute this season, though the rookie will begin camp on the NFI list.

The Eagles sent Nos. 50, 53, and 161 to move up. They also received No. 78 and 152. DeJean (6’/202) was a star AAU basketball player in addition to being a two-way football star, playing quarterback and DB. A four-star 2021 fall camp arrival, DeJean bided his time as a special teamer before exploding on the scene in 2022 with a season for the Iowa ages. He started all 13 games while playing mostly corner, but also spent 140 snaps in the slot and another 91 snaps in the box to take advantage of his hybrid safety skill set. He recorded 75 tackles, 25 stops and five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The Second Team All-Big Ten corner accounted for a microscopic 4% missed tackle rate (4th in FBS) with 2.8 adjusted yards per target which greatly contributed to his 89th% PFF defensive grade. DeJean was named to the coveted Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List prior to 2023 and delivered another praiseworthy campaign of 41 tackles, seven PBU and two interceptions before suffering a broken right leg that limited his season to 10 games. The Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2023, DeJean shifted to corner full-time and flourished by limiting opponents to a 38% catch rate with a meager 44 yards after catch allowed on 20 receptions. Though he was unable to test at the Combine, Iowa’s CB1 ran a 4.46s 40-yard dash (80th%) with a 1.52s 10-yard split (90th%) and 38.5” vertical (88th%) for a 9.85 RAS. A full-sized cornerback who has unusual speed for his frame, DeJean is a terrific all-around athlete with a tone-setting attitude. He will immediately help Philly get their defense back on track after things came apart at the seams in 2023.

Of the known four offers DeJean reeled in, Iowa was the lone Power Five outfit in the lot. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder draws a general “athlete” designation from 247Sports, with the outlet passing along that Iowa is looking to start DeJean out at defensive back. On the 247Sports composite board, the Ida Grove, Iowa, native slots in as the No. 11 prospect in the state for the 2021 cycle.