What's Wrong With Cooper DeJean?

As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 2, all-purpose defensive back Cooper DeJean is coming off one of his worst games in recent memory.

The third-year pro from Iowa allowed seven catches on nine targets this past Sunday for 83 yards and a touchdown. Of those 83 yards, 30 of them were after the catch. Pro Football Focus ranks DeJean 77th out of 82 qualified safeties. Not exactly the type of start you would expect from a player who was First Team All-Pro in 2025.

Perhaps DeJean’s early struggles may be rooted in Philadelphia testing his abilities at various positions. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has praised DeJean’s versatility and has deployed him at nickelback and at safety. Mastering one position in the NFL is hard enough, but trying to mold DeJean into a jack-of-all-trades will undoubtedly take some time.

The other problem facing DeJean heading into Week 2 is that he was held out of practice Wednesday with calf and abdominal issues. He appeared to have sustained an injury toward the end of the Washington contest. It was the first time he had missed a practice since the summer of 2024. After the practice, DeJean mentioned that he should be able to play this Sunday at Tennessee.

If DeJean is healthy, I wouldn’t read much into his poor performance against Washington. The Eagles secondary underwent a major makeover from last year, so there are several new faces that DeJean has to get comfortable working with. With a heavy de-emphasis on preseason snaps these days, the communication and timing may be a bit rocky to start the season.

Riq Woolen is a new starting cornerback, acquired via free agency from Seattle. Starting strong safety Marcus Epps played 12 games with the Eagles in 2025 but logged only four starts. Starting free safety Andrew Mukuba showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie last year but missed the last six games of the season after suffering a fractured ankle. First Team All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell is the lone Eagles starting secondary player that DeJean has extensive on-field experience with.

During Philadelphia’s run to the Super Bowl in 2024, DeJean developed outstanding chemistry with safety Reed Blankenship. However, the duo dubbed “The Exciting Whites” was broken up as Blankenship signed with Houston this past offseason.

DeJean is an outstanding young talent. Once Fangio irons out what DeJean’s role will be within a defensive unit featuring a relatively new cast of characters, the struggles against Washington will be a blip on the radar.