If There Was One Thing That Opened Eyes In Eagles' First OTA It Was This

Here is something to keep an eye the rest of spring and when the Eagles open training camp in July: Cooper DeJean moving from the slot to the outside. He took some reps there during Tuesday’s OTA.

Granted, it’s only May, but if there’s anything that makes you go, “hmmm…” after one day, it is that.

“I’ve been doing it a little bit early on here in OTAs, so I just think that doing whatever they need me to (do) is what I’ll do,” said DeJean. “Right now, I’ve been trying both outside and inside. But it’s definitely a tall task, no doubt. (The coaches) are just saying that they were going to try me a little bit at outside when we were in base. Nothing really too crazy. That’s really all he (one of his coaches) said, that I’d get some reps outside during OTAs and see how it looked.”

DeJean did the inside/outside thing at Iowa, so he’s no stranger to it. DeJean said he is still learning how to play the outside at the NFL level while continuing to better himself at nickel.

“I’m still trying to grow,” he said.

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told NBC Sports Philly during a Phillies game this spring that he would like to leave DeJean on the inside. And why not? DeJean was terrific in there and was one of the five finalists for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.

That will depend on how comfortable the DC feels with Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks, or Adoree Jackson on the outside opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Or if he believes one of the cornerbacks on the roster – Mac McWilliams, B.J. Mayes, somebody else – can play an acceptable nickel.

"I mean Coop, he a football player,” said Mitchell. “He did it in college, yeah, just a great football player. Got a knack for the football. Just a good football player.”

There are adjustments required moving inside and outside, and DeJean said the mentality is different.

“Understanding leverage and things like that,” he said. “So yeah, it’s going to be a challenge. But I’m still learning. It’s early on. We’ll see what happens.”

The Eagles don’t play a game that counts until Sept. 4, so there is time to see what happens.

“If I’m on the football field, that’s really all that matters,” said DeJean. “I love playing football. If that’s where I fit in the defense that I’m in best, and that’s where I can make the best impact for our defense, then that’s where I’ll be. It’s really up to the coaches as to where they see my best fit within our defense. If that’s inside, then I’ll be fine with that.”