PHILADELPHIA — Safety is one of the biggest question marks on the Philadelphia Eagles defense, a void unfulfilled thanks to the offseason trade of C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans.
Gardner-Johnson’s departure created a competition at safety opposite of Reed Blankenship. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said the battle is between Sydney Brown, rookie Andrew Mukuba and Tristin McCollum for the job.
There’s another name added to the mix — Cooper DeJean.
Fangio name dropped DeJean when speaking at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday, mentioning safety when being asked about the second-year cornerback getting looks on the outside opposite Quinyon Mitchell in base defense.
“We’d like to keep him at nickel,” Fangio said. “And then in our base package, we’ll find a spot for him either at corner or safety.”
The Eagles want to keep DeJean on the field at all times, and safety could be a way for them to accomplish that. Based on how the cornerback situation plays out on the outside between Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson, Fangio could move DeJean to safety in base defense to pair with Blankenship.
The catch to all of this? The Eagles don’t actually go in base defense much, only running it less than 10% of the time last season. Fangio even asked reporters how many times they thought the Eagles were in base defense last season through 21 games.
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The answer was 160 snaps.
“In last year’s case, we evolved to that because once Cooper started to play very well, it got him on the field more,” Fangio said. “It was a much better fit for our edge guys. They could play nickel end instead of having to play three-four outside backer. So last year it was a good fit for where we were personnel-wise. This year that could change.”
DeJean may be the best option the Eagles could have at cornerback or safety, which speaks volumes toward how the competition is playing out and what the Eagles have at those positions. The drop-off from nickel cornerback from DeJean to whoever else the Eagles put out there is massive, making DeJean the clear option to play the slot. The Eagles also are in nickel for a significant majority of their snaps (80.5% of the time).
Fangio wants his best defensive backs on the field in his secondary. DeJean is obviously part of that equation, but is expected to play the slot for the overwhelming majority of the time. As for other slot options, Mukuba played some slot in college — but Fangio said he’s learning safety right now.
Even if DeJean plays safety in base defense, it won’t be for a lot of snaps. This is just a way to keep DeJean on the field at all times.
DeJean scored more touchdowns last season (1) than he let up in coverage (0) for a reason. Right now, DeJean is far and away the best option in the slot. Perhaps the Eagles envision safety as a long-term play for DeJean, getting him acclimated to the role this summer.
“I think he would play very well at safety,” Fangio said. “I think it suits his skill set, things that he does well. I just think he would do very well in there.”
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Author: Jeff Kerr
June 4, 2025 | 2:25 pm
