There is one NFL slot cornerback who currently sits above all others — Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro Cooper DeJean.
According to Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker, DeJean’s reign will be short after the Dallas Cowboys selected Ohio State’s Caleb Downs with the No. 11 overall pick in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Locker predicts Downs, who signed a 4-year, $29.1 million rookie contract, will be the “NFL’s next elite slot defender as a rookie.” Which would mean DeJean takes a backseat.
In an interesting twist, 34-year-old former Eagles cornerbacks coach Christian Parker is now the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.
“Parker sought a legitimate game-changer with one of the Cowboys’ top two picks,” Locker wrote. “He got just that in Downs, who has a chance to revolutionize the unit from the get-go as the team’s primary nickel/slot defender.”
The last 2 Super Bowl champions have come with elite rookie slot cornerbacks — DeJean in 2024 and Seattle Seahawks star Nick Emmanwori in 2025.
Parker also has a history of turning players into elite slot cornerbacks, doing so with DeJean in Philadelphia and Ja’Quan McMillian with the Denver Broncos.
“Simply put, without the contributions of DeJean and Emmanwori, the Eagles and Seahawks would not have won their Super Bowl titles,” Locker wrote. “The blueprint of a rookie nickel becoming one of the sport’s best is now well-documented, and often correlates with defensive and team success.”
Eagles Have NFL’s Elite Cornerback Duo
If Downs wants to take DeJean’s spot, he’ll have to fight for it — and the Eagles will get 2 chances each year to take him down a peg.
The Eagles solidified their secondary for years to come in the 2024 NFL draft with a pair of All-Pros with their 1st 2 picks, taking Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the 1st round and DeJean in the 2nd round.
Both became high-impact starters as rookies. By the time the Eagles routed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, they were both stars — as evidenced by DeJean returning an interception off Patrick Mahomes for a touchdown in the 1st half.
In their 2nd seasons, the duo continued to ascend, with both earning NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for the 1st time.
Parker Pushes Back Against Philly Comparisons
Parker and Downs will surely want to stake their own path for the downtrodden Cowboys, and it was Parker who has already pushed back against any narrative that he will try to imitate the Eagles’ success — or the success of 1 of his mentors in legendary Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
“This is our defense,” Parker told The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “I don’t want it to be called the Eagles defense or Vic (Fangio’s) defense. ‘This is going to be ours. We’ve been real intentional about going about that process from the language that we use, the workflow that we have, and everything else. It’s been real fun.”
All of this should make the 2 Cowboys-Eagles games in the 2026 regular season must-watch affairs. The 2 teams meet for the 1st time in a nationally-televised Monday Night Football matchup in Week 7 in Philadelphia, then play again in Dallas in Week 12.
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