Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean held out of practice; Zack Baun earns NFC weekly honors
DeJean appeared to be wearing a sleeve on his left leg while sidelined for Wednesday’s practice.
Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean was sidelined for the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday, the Eagles’ first session of the week ahead of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
DeJean, 23, appeared to sustain an injury late in the second quarter of the team’s season-opening victory over the Washington Commanders. After he tackled Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a reception, DeJean stood up and grabbed the left side of his abdomen. Additionally, DeJean appeared to be wearing a sleeve on his left leg at Wednesday’s practice.
He didn’t miss any snaps due to injury during the game, but he struggled at times in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, DeJean conceded seven receptions on nine targets for 83 yards and a touchdown. Diggs did the most damage against DeJean, amassing four receptions on five targets for 55 yards and a touchdown in that matchup.
» READ MORE: What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 2 vs. the Titans
After the game, DeJean said that he “wasn’t good enough” in his debut in his new role, which requires him to play safety in base defense and move to the slot in nickel.
“Sometimes my eyes get bad and that gets me in trouble,” DeJean said at the time. “Just got to be better with that. The good thing is it’s Week 1. We got a lot of games ahead of us and I got to continue to get better for our defense.”
On Tuesday, Vic Fangio agreed with DeJean’s assessment of his own play, particularly regarding his eye discipline.
“I think it can happen at times and at times it’s helped him, too,” the Eagles defensive coordinator said. “He’s just got to make sure he can stay tight enough to his assignment and not let his vision get too skewed to where he gets out of position.”
The Eagles will release their first injury report of the week later on Wednesday afternoon, which will contain the nature of DeJean’s injury and his practice participation status. They will practice two more times this week before they travel to Nashville, Tenn., to take on the Titans.
If DeJean is not healthy enough to play against the Titans, Michael Carter II would be the next man up. Carter, 27, joined the Eagles at the trade deadline last year after beginning his career with the New York Jets as a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft from Duke.
Carter spent time in training camp this year competing for the starting safety role, although Marcus Epps, who won the job, appeared to be the front-runner all summer. Carter also cross-trained at nickel cornerback, his primary position with the Jets.
Even though Carter didn’t earn the starting safety job, Fangio still expressed confidence in him to contribute in certain situations.
“We still like Michael,” Fangio said last week. “And we have the ability to play him some there too.”
In Week 1, Carter played six defensive snaps — four at safety and two as the sixth defensive back in the dime package. He appeared in eight games with the Eagles at the end of last season, and 65 (25 starts) with the Jets over 4½ years.
Baun named NFC Defensive Player of the Week
The NFL named Zack Baun its NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his standout performance in Week 1 against the Commanders.
Baun, 29, racked up 12 tackles, two pass breakups, and a tackle for loss in the Eagles’ win. He was targeted six times in coverage and conceded three receptions for minus-2 yards, according to Next Gen Stats.
He is one of two defenders since the start of last season (including Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward) to allow negative receiving yards on at least five targets in a contest.
» READ MORE: Sielski: Landon Dickerson revealed the cold reality of the NFL. Does anyone even care?
Baun has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors twice, including after a 2024 Week 10 showing against the Dallas Cowboys, in which he totaled eight tackles, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
He is the third Eagles linebacker to win the award more than once, joining Seth Joyner (three) and William Thomas (two). Since joining the Eagles two years ago, Baun has elevated his play from core special-teamer with the New Orleans Saints to All-Pro inside linebacker.
“He has this amazing work ethic,” Nick Sirianni said on Wednesday. “None of us know our ceiling. What I mean is, none of us know our actual potential, our ceiling, because so much can happen when you work your [butt] off. I may think to myself, ‘Well, my kids aren’t going to be NFL football players because I wasn’t,’ but that’s not fair to say because nobody knows what their potential is until they put the work in.
“That’s a great example of Zack: He is highly talented and he puts the work in.”
The Eagles eked out a season-opening win over the Washington Commanders thanks, in large part, to Jalen Hurts channeling the elements of his game that make him so dangerous. But when it comes to other areas of the offense, concerns from last year still linger. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy assess Hurts’ performance, Sean Mannion’s debut as offensive coordinator, and warning signs on the offensive line Listen here.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
