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Early Philadelphia Eagles training camp experiment could make the Vic Fangio defense even better heading into 2025 NFL season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 6:53 PM ET

Most considered Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean to be a first round talent when he was coming out of the University of Iowa in the 2024 NFL Draft, but an injury caused him to fall to the No. 40 selection in the second round. It ended up being a massive steal for general manager Howie Roseman, DeJean quickly becoming one of the very best nickel backs in the NFL.

Down the stretch of the season, DeJean became an instrumental figure toward the team’s Super Bowl run and victory. He ended that first campaign with 51 total tackles, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumbles recoveries, and half a sack.

For those who watched all season, however, they understand that DeJean’s impact transcended the box score.

With fellow rookie Quinton Mitchell and veteran Darius Slay manning the outside cornerback spots last season, DeJean found his home inside in the slot. He had played that role while with the Hawkeyes, so it wasn’t foreign to him, which made the transition easier.

Slay left for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, and some have wondered how that will affect DeJean, if at all. Having played outside cornerback as well with Iowa, he does have upside to moving to cornerback if that was the path the Eagles chose. The versatility he brings opens a lot of possibilities, but also creates question marks for fans.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has talked openly about the possibility to use DeJean everywhere this offseason. That would, ideally at least, not allow opposing offenses to get a great read about where he’s aligning on a snap to snap perspective.

It appears we may have gotten an early glimpse at where DeJean could be deployed most in the first practice or training camp. According to the Eagles beat writers on site, DeJean was working at a high volume at safety for the defense. That opens up a world of possibilities.

Cooper DeJean has been the safety in base defense in two different periods today. Vic Fangio teased this during the spring. I expected DeJean to stay on the field for every defensive snap — but there’s a chance that could come at safety and not CB.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) July 23, 2025

While some may find the decision to play safety somewhat confusion, especially when citing the value of the position overall, it may actually present the most overall value to the defense. The ability to be alignment versatile plays into DeJean’s favor, and that is achieved most at safety.

If DeJean were exclusively at outside cornerback, that is the most easy spot to avoid in his repertoire. He may limit one half of a field, but it’s a lot easier for offenses to scheme around him. Plus, one of DeJean’s bigger sells are his ball skills and propensity to make big plays, so you want him to be around the football as often as possible.

DeJean sticking at nickel wouldn’t be a bad decision. Against certain looks, he could potentially rotate back to safety, or fit down into the box. His upside in both man and zone coverage offer untapped upside from that alignment as well.

At safety, however, it is just really hard to try and key on him from a snap to snap perspective. Plus, those slot reps don’t have to go fully away.

Depending on the coverage structure, DeJean could play two high, rotate to the middle of the field, or even move down to the slot. You could be super diverse, be more secretive in your post snap responsibilities, and more importantly, keep DeJean on the field more frequently.

At the heart of this conversation, it is about getting the most out of DeJean as a football player. A heavy volume at safety would allow you to do that, and find him a versatile home to wear a lot of different hats. Getting the most out of your players, and putting your team in the best position to win, are the two core competencies of great coaches.

A move to safety gives you both with DeJean’s skill set, and potentially even more.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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