Eagles’ Cooper DeJean and Jalen Carter haven’t looked like stars; Deshaun Watson’s resurrection; NFL Week 3

Entering the game Monday Night in Chicago, the good news for the Eagles’ defense is that veteran linebacker Zack Baun remains elite.

The bad news: Newly extended tackle Jalen Carter, as well as soon-to-be-extended defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, have not played to their elite standard. They have forced zero turnovers, have one sack combined, and remain, as a group, unremarkable through two games.

Mitchell, among the best cover corners since he was drafted in 2024, suddenly is mediocre, if you consider the grades from Pro Football Focus relevant. Most folks pointed to PFF rankings the past two seasons, when Mitchell was blowing folks away with grades that hovered around 80, which was top-6. Mitchell’s at 62.3 entering MNF, which ranks 48th among corners with about as many snaps as he has, and Mitchell remains without an interception in his 34 regular season games.

» READ MORE: Jeff McLane’s keys to Eagles vs. Bears in Week 3 and a game prediction

Carter, who got a $152 million extension just before training camp, disappears for large spans of the game, just like he did as a rookie three years ago. Carter has a wrist injury, but still.

And DeJean — he’s just been awful. He was ranked No. 1 by PFF among all corners as a rookie in 2024 and No. 2 among nickel corners last season, but, since DeJean moved to safety part-time this season, he’s been a liability. Like Carter, DeJean is not 100% (calf, abdomen), but, again ... still.

Asked if he would consider simplifying DeJean’s life by moving him to safety full-time instead of shuttling him between there and nickel corner, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said, “No.”

Fangio’s defense is one of three in the NFL without a takeaway.

Three weeks into the season, the league’s least likable quarterback has resurrected hope in football-crazed Cleveland.

Understand that calling Deshaun Watson the least likable quarterback in the NFL is saying something, considering the NFL still suffers the presence of Aaron Rodgers and, tangentially, the top in-game analyst is the insufferable G.O.A.T., Tom Brady.

» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Bears: Predictions, odds, injury updates, and why people are talking about kickoffs again

However, between accusations of Watson’s serial sexual misconduct with massage therapists (he has settled or resolved 24 lawsuits), the smarminess with which he has comported himself since the accusations were made in 2021, the astonishing decision of the Browns in 2022 to mortgage their future on Watson by trading for him and guaranteeing him $230 million despite pending litigation, and his generally poor play, Watson, who often is booed in his own stadium, has few friends and fewer allies.

Injuries to his shoulder and his right Achilles tendon cost him most of the past three seasons, but the Browns failed to acquire competent replacements and Watson outplayed Shedeur Sanders in training camp and he has been the Browns’ starter this season.

For better or worse, since Game 1, Watson has played well. His play was key to wins in Games 2 and 3 in which he compiled a 106.4 passer rating with no interceptions and ran for 67 yards on 18 carries. He looks a lot like the player who went to Pro Bowls from 2018-2020.

The Browns were expected to founder this season after they traded superstar defensive lineman Myles Garrett to the Rams in June, hired rookie coach Todd Monken, and had no clear starter at QB. Instead, after beating the Panthers on Sunday, they’re 2-1, they have winnable games on deck against the Steelers and Jets, and they have a clear leader in Watson.

The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games and fined him $5 million in 2022 in connection with the accusations. If he continues to lead the Browns to wins, it will be fascinating to see how the NFL, its in-house media wing, and its national broadcast partners deal with this unique tale of ... redemption?

The Rams, who visit Philly on Sunday, fell to 1-2 when the Broncos completed a touchdown drive in the last minute, then intercepted reigning MVP Matthew Stafford for a second time in the fourth quarter, this one at the buzzer. The first interception was a 66-yard pick-six with 4:49 to play. ... The Ravens stunned the Cowboys (1-2) in Rio de Janeiro with a last-second field goal set up by the Cowboys’ decision, with the game tied, to kick off for a touchback, which gave the Ravens the ball at their own 35, then played man coverage and surrendered a 27-yard completion and called a timeout with 1 second to play. Tyler Loop then kicked a 56-yard field goal. .. The Super Bowl champion Seahawks had won 12 in a row and they got Sam Darnold and his strained rear end back in time to visit D.C., but, with Jayden Daniels sidelined for a third time in two seasons with a dislocated left elbow, former Eagles backup Marcus Mariota led the Commanders to a 33-31 win. ... Retread quarterback Kirk Cousins, 38, and first-time head coach Klint Kubiak, 39, have the Raiders at 3-0, as the Saints committed four fourth-quarter turnovers, including a game-clinching fumble forced by former Eagles star linebacker Nakobe Dean. ... The battered Niners also moved to 3-0 with a win in Arizona, but they lost two more players: receiver Mike Evans (rib) and left tackle Trent Williams (stinger).

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Earlier this year, the scenario seemed far-fetched, especially after the Eagles used a second-round draft pick on a tight end. Zach Ertz overcoming a serious injury to make a nostalgic return? It just didn’t feel like a possibility. Then rookie Eli Stowers got hurt in the preseason, and starter Dallas Goedert went down Week 2 vs. Tennessee. All of a sudden, the Eagles had a need. Now, the 35-year old Ertz has been tapped to fill it. The Inquirer's Jeff McLane explains how an unlikely reunion between Ertz and the Eagles came together, why both sides are hoping for more than a feel-good story, and which player on the roster could be affected by this move the most. Listen here.

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