The Philadelphia Eagles entered the offseason with the need to upgrade their secondary because their starters are getting up there in age. James Bradberry turns 31 in August, and Darius Slay is 33.
Another reason why they needed to upgrade their secondary is because their starters battled injuries last season. Bradberry missed one game with a concussion, Slay missed five with a knee injury, and Avonte Maddox missed 13 with a torn pectoral.
Finally, they needed to upgrade their secondary because their depth was weak. They allowed the 2nd-most passing yards and the 2nd-most passing touchdowns.
The Eagles addressed the secondary by drafting a cornerback in the 2nd round.
The Philadelphia Eagles drafted a cornerback in the 2nd round
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The Eagles traded (up) to draft Cooper DeJean in the 2nd round, 40th overall of the 2024 NFL Draft.
He signed his rookie contract.
Cooper DeJean signed his rookie contract
DeJean signed a 4-year rookie contract worth $9,283,622 with a $3,571,724 signing bonus.
He played college football in Iowa.
Cooper DeJean played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes
DeJean committed to the Hawkeyes as a 4-star recruit for the 2021 season. He would have a great career, playing 30 games and starting 23, with 120 tackles, five TFLs, seven interceptions, three pick-sixes, and 13 pass deflections.
DeJean played ten games and started ten in 2023, with 41 tackles, two TFLs, two interceptions, five pass deflections, and a 77.4 PFF Grade before a broken leg prematurely ended his season. He allowed 20 receptions on 46 targets for 194 yards and a 37.8 passer rating. He had a 76.8 coverage grade, a 78.6 run defense grade, a 63.7 man coverage grade, and a 73.1 zone coverage grade per PFF.
The Associated Press named him to their All-American First Team, and the Big Ten named him to their All-Big Ten First Team.
Cooper DeJean will compete for a starting job
Ourlads currently have him listed as their starting nickel back, meaning he will compete with Maddox for the starting job.
Who will win the starting nickel job?
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