Eagles Swiss-Army-Knife plan for Cooper DeJean takes shape in first training camp practice

As we’ve detailed numerous times in this space, Vic Fangio doesn’t lie.

Fangio, the defensive coordinator of the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, told reporters last month that star defensive back Cooper DeJean would see work at safety during training camp, and that indeed was the case during the team’s first official practice of the summer.

Per 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks, DeJean was on the field with Philly’s first-team defense opposite Reed Blankenship in base packages. He returned to his familiar slot corner spot in nickel packages, or when three wide receivers were on the field.

Again, this is hardly a revelation, as Fanigo discussed this very scenario during his session with reporters back on June 3. Per Shorr-Parks, rookie safety Andrew Mukuba saw reps with the starters along with Sydney Brown. Those two will compete for Philly’s vacant safety spot in camp along with Tristin McCollum, with DeJean likely subbing in for special situations. The Eagles played far more nickel than base defense in 2024, and that will continue this season.

DeJean played some safety for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but he was predominantly used as an outside cornerback. With now third-year pro Kelee Ringo the favorite to start on the outside opposite Quinyon Mitchell, DeJean feels pretty locked in at nickel for the second consecutive season.

Still, this is definitely a storyline worth monitoring as training camp progresses. The Eagles have more depth at cornerback than safety, and Mitchell played predominantly with the first-team defense at the nickel spot last summer before moving outside for the regular-season opener against Green Bay in Brazil. 

It’s possible that a player like rookie corner Mac McWilliams emerges as a candidate for slot reps, which would allow Fangio to use DeJean in more of a Swiss Army Knife-like fashion. Time will tell, but as it stands, fans shouldn’t mistake DeJean’s reps at safety for a position change. The Eagles merely want to keep their best players on the field at all times.

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