Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean suffered a hamstring injury this offseason while training. The Eagles started training camp this week and DeJean is currently on the NFI list. DeJean was a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Iowa. There was no question that the Eagles needed to address the secondary this offseason.
The other defensive back pick the Philadelphia Eagles made in the 2024 NFL Draft was selecting cornerback Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo. Mitchell is projected to be one of the starters this season. As for DeJean, he was listed as a backup safety on the depth chart earlier in the offseason but is now listed as one of the nickelbacks. Avonte Maddox is the other nickelback on this roster. It will be interesting to see when DeJean takes the practice field for the Eagles.
Injuries caused him to slip in the draft. It also ended his season early last season with the Iowa Hawkeyes because of a fractured fibula. DeJean was also used on special teams. The Eagles fanbase will have a close eye on him when he returns.
Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni Talked To the Media On Wednesday About Cooper DeJean
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke with reporters on Wednesday about where DeJean was at with his injury. Sirianni said in his Wednesday press conference:
“We were excited about him when we drafted him. We were excited about the things he did during OTAs and the offseason work, and we’re still excited about him. He’s going to have to get a lot of mental reps these next couple weeks that he’ll be out rehabbing that injury. And he’ll do that. I’m confident in the person, that he’ll do that. He’s going to have to work hard at that and then be able to come back when it’s his time to come back, when the injury has healed itself up, and get those physical reps. I’m really confident that he’ll do that, though. We’ve spent so much time on the person as well as the player, and excited that he’ll do what he needs to do in the classroom.”
DeJean played in 10 games last season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. He recorded 41 tackles, two tackles for a loss, zero sacks, two interceptions, and five pass deflections. Cooper DeJean is capable of playing both safety and cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is very versatile and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could put him in different situations depending on the down and the distance.
Hopefully, general manager Howie Roseman did not draft an injury-prone player. DeJean slipped in the second round because of injuries. Many mock drafts had him going in the first round.
