Cooper DeJean’s ‘challenge’ at safety with the Eagles is both new and familiar
Plus, DeJean's fellow All-Pro Quinyon Mitchell is working on finding a way to more interceptions.
It took only a few practices last season for Vic Fangio to know Cooper DeJean had the requisite skills to play safety in the longtime coordinator’s defense.
During one of the early days of training camp, the offense gave Fangio’s defense a route combination the Eagles had struggled with a year prior. DeJean, who spent some of last year’s camp cross-training at safety, “did it like he’d been a safety his whole life,” Fangio said last August.
“Yeah, he’ll be a good safety if we need him there.”
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That time seemingly has arrived. DeJean is back getting safety reps during OTAs, and the Eagles, unless any reinforcements join the team for camp, are likely to use DeJean at safety in their base defense package. Last year, in an effort to keep DeJean on the field for a higher percentage of snaps, the Eagles used him on the outside in their base defense, which has four defensive backs on the field. This year, the plan is for Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen to man the outside with DeJean and Drew Mukuba on the back line.
It is a logical choice given both the financial commitment the Eagles made to Woolen — who signed a one-year, $12 million deal that could be worth up to $15 million — and DeJean’s inconsistent play on the outside. He is an elite slot corner, arguably the best in the NFL, but he is no Mitchell on the outside.
Reed Blankenship’s departure left lingering questions about what the makeup of the secondary will look like. Right now, it seems like the trio of DeJean, Mitchell, and Woolen will be on the field at all times.
How often can DeJean be expected to be lined up at safety? The Eagles, according to Sharp Football Analysis, used their base package 25% of the time in 2025 and were in sub packages for 75% of their defensive snaps. That means DeJean will play nickel, the position he was named an All-Pro at, 75% of the time or more. But even 20% of the snaps at safety is a large chunk.
“I feel like I’ve gotten to learn all the roles in this defense pretty well,” DeJean said Tuesday. “I’m excited. It’s a good challenge for me.”
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The reps DeJean took last year at safety are helping the transition, as is his study of current teammates like Mukuba and Marcus Epps, who is likely to be the safety next to Mukuba when DeJean is at nickel, and past teammates like Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
DeJean said he has also spent some time this offseason watching Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, who played 14 of his 18 NFL seasons at corner before transitioning to safety at the end of his career.
Fangio’s defense, DeJean said, makes it smooth, too.
“Playing nickel in this defense is kind of like playing safety in a lot of ways,” DeJean said. “A lot of the techniques are pretty similar.”
Defensive pass game coordinator Joe Kasper said last week that DeJean’s play at nickel suggested to the coaching staff that his “feel for time and distance is not a bridge too far for him.”
“That’s where maybe you would see guys struggle with going from one spot to the other,” Kasper said. “He doesn’t have those issues that we actually enhance that element within how he plays the nickel position. So to me, it’s another way for us to continue to maximize a resource that we have.”
To be clear, there will be a bit of a learning curve. DeJean might be an All-Pro defensive back, but new assignments typically need an adjustment period.
“It’s not that easy,” DeJean said. “I’m not just going out there and playing at a high level. There are still things to learn and that’s what OTAs are for. There’s a lot more space than playing nickel and even corner. You’re coming from top-down and giving a lot of space to guys, whoever you’re covering. It’s still taking some getting used to, but I feel like I’ve prepared myself since I got here to be ready whenever my number was called to play that position.”
DeJean’s cross-training comes as the unit across the field implements changes under first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. The new schemes and new looks, DeJean said, have been and will be helpful.
“I think it’s good for us as a defense,” DeJean said. “A lot of teams are going to this style of offense, a lot of under-center, a lot of movement around, a lot of motion. I think it will be good for us as a defense to see that every day and learn some different things and how we can defend things.”
What’s next for Quinyon Mitchell?
Mitchell, like DeJean, was named an All-Pro in his second season in 2025. But while Mitchell has become one of the league’s best cover corners, he hasn’t yet developed a knack for intercepting the football. He has yet to pick off a pass during a regular season game, though he has four interceptions across two playoff appearances, including two in the Eagles’ playoff loss to San Francisco in January.
Is it a matter of being in the right place at the right time, or are there things Mitchell can do to facilitate more turnovers?
“I think there are things you can do,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been working with the staff on catching and eye placement and stuff like that.”
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Mitchell will turn 25 before camp begins next month. He has spent his offseason trying to “master” the basics, he said.
How did getting an All-Pro nod change how he views his career and what he wants to accomplish?
“I honestly feel like it’s the past, like I’m not an All-Pro anymore,” he said. “It’s a new season, and I don’t view myself as an All-Pro anymore.”
A.J. Brown is officially an Eagle no more! We knew the move was coming for weeks, if not months, but that doesn't make the departure of the Pro Bowl wide receiver and Super Bowl champion any less jarring. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane and David Murphy react to general manager Howie Roseman's trade with the New England Patriots. Listen here.
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