The Philadelphia Eagles have an opening for an outside cornerback, and filling it with budding star slot corner Cooper DeJean makes a lot of sense.
But DeJean explained why he prefers to stay in the slot-corner position rather than move to the outside as part of his season-ending media availability Monday.
The second-year cornerback had a magnificent season playing the slot. He was named to the Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors while finishing second on the Eagles’ star-studded defense in tackles (93) and passes defended (16) and was tied for second on the team in interceptions (2) while helping them win the NFC East for the second straight year.
DeJean had two tackles and two passes defended in Philadelphia’s season-ending 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Cooper DeJean Would Rather Keep Playing Slot Cornerback In 2026
Under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, DeJean has ascende to the No. 1 slot cornerback in football in just his second NFL season. He had a huge season and of course scored memorable 38-yard pick-six in the Super Bowl off Patrick Mahomes in Philadelphia’s 40-22 win in Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs in February.
Still, slot cornerbacks are typically the third-best at that position on the field, even though DeJean was often the 1A to top outside cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. So with outside cornerback Adoree’ Jackson undoubtedly about to leave in free agency, it would make sense for the Eagles to fill his spot with DeJean.
But DeJean would rather stay where he is.
“I like playing inside,” DeJean said. “I like playing inside, being involved in the run game, and I feel like I have the abilities to [defend the run] at that position. Obviously it’s not up to me, but [staying inside] is what I’d like to do.”
The Eagles Would Be Best Served Keeping Cooper DeJean Where He Is
DeJean could end up costing himself millions down the line by playing slot cornerback, since outside DBs tend to be considered more valuable. But DeJean’s prowess at slot earned him the No. 7 grade among 114 qualifying NFL cornerbacks via Pro-Football Focus (77.8), and it seems Fangio has found a good thing with playing DeJean where he is.
Plus, the Eagles may have to spend to replace Jackson, since Spotrac projects the top-end free agent cornerbacks like Riq Woolen, Cam Taylor-Britt or Jamel Dean will earn about $12 million annually.
But the Jackson experiment proved paying for a No. 2 cornerback is a worthy investment, since the Eagles spent $1.755 million on the No. 90-ranked cornerback, according to PFF.
Of course there are other cap considerations to account for, since the Eagles will undoubtedly pick up Mitchell’s fifth-year option and that will be no small expense based on how he’s played. Philadelphia seems likely to address its offensive line and maybe even its pass catching, each of which could be costly spots to upgrade in free agency.
But if DeJean is comfortable doing what he’s doing, Fangio would be wise to keep him doing it.
“I’m just ready to get back to work already,” DeJean said. “It’s a long ways away, but I’m excited for who we have in this locker room to be able to get out there and roll it out again.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cooper DeJean Sends Clear Message to Eagles Staff on Potential Position Change appeared first on Heavy Sports.