Slowly, it is becoming apparent that the success of the Eagles’ defense rests on two players.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter has already established himself as a force in the NFL, someone worthy of double teams. And incredibly, as Carter enters his third season, Eagles legend Jeremiah Trotter said recently on SportsRadio 94 WIP that Carter still doesn’t know how to play the position.
“I agree with the point he’s trying to make,” Eagles defensive coordinator Fangio said on June 3. “The good news about Jalen is two-fold. One, he played very well for us last year, and two, he can still improve a lot.”
The other player became apparent as the Eagles continued their second week of spring practices when Fangio, unprompted, said this when asked about Cooper DeJean working at outside cornerback:
“I would 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.”
It was the “safety” part that raised eyebrows, but it really shouldn’t have.
As starting safety Reed Blankenship put it: “Coop’s one of these guys that can play whatever position … We have a lot of guys who are very mobile at any position. And it’s good to know all of these positions just in case.
“Like I said, he does well anywhere.”
It should be noted that DeJean was not at safety during the June 3 practice, the entirety of which was open to the media. But Fangio could easily put him there once training camp begins in late July.
DeJean took over at nickel in Week 6 last season, and played there exclusively as the Eagles won the Super Bowl. DeJean, of course, had the pick-6 against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter.
After the Super Bowl, the Eagles released cornerback Darius Slay, allowed top backup Isaiah Rodgers to leave in free agency, and traded safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who had 6 interceptions last season, to the Houston Texans.
So it was hardly a surprise that DeJean was getting work at outside cornerback during the organized team activities. DeJean had played both inside and outside in college at Iowa.
“They’re different,” DeJean said about the positions. “On the inside, you gotta prepare more to fit the run, be able to cover and do all those things. At corner, it’s more worrying about covering a top guy, a top receiver, with a lot of space … I just think that doing whatever they need me to (do) is what I’ll do. Right now, I’ve been trying both outside and inside.
“It’s definitely a tall task, no doubt.”
When DeJean spoke to the media last week, the subject of possibly playing safety wasn’t brought up. After all, the Eagles seemed to be content to let Sydney Brown, the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2023, and Drew Mukuba, the Eagles’ second-round pick this year, battle it out for the starting job next to Blankenship.
That might still be the case. But let’s pause here, and look at the big picture.
Fangio made it a point to say this: “We played 21 games last year (including playoffs and the Super Bowl). How many base snaps do you guys think we played? About 160 in total.”
#Eagles WRs catching balls right in your lap. Last one is Jahan Dotson with new No. 2. pic.twitter.com/g7pQXJ0khn
— Martin Frank (@Mfranknfl) June 3, 2025
That’s out of 1,315 defensive snaps total, also including the postseason. So the Eagles were in their base defense just 12% of the time.
So essentially, once DeJean became a full-time player in Week 6, he was on the field for 88% of the snaps in nickel. That won’t change. But Fangio made it clear that DeJean should get the other 12% in the Eagles’ base defense, whether it’s outside at corner or at safety.
It was the same way with Carter. He played at least 90% of the snaps in 8 of the 19 games he played in last season, an extraordinary amount for a defensive tackle who’s often double-teamed.
Does Fangio worry about wearing out Carter?
“He’s still a young pup,” Fangio said.
Carter, who turned 24 in April, said he doesn’t mind: “I’m having fun out there. If I could play every down, I’d love it. But if I have to get out because I need a break or something, I know the next guy will step up for me.”
Here are Quinyon Mitchell and Kelee Ringo in a punch out drill. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/16heBt1NjJ
— Martin Frank (@Mfranknfl) June 3, 2025
Quinyon Mitchell established himself as a lock-down cornerback last season as a rookie, while Slay, even at 34 years old, was still an elite player.
Kelee Ringo, the Eagles’ fourth-round pick in 2023, and veteran Adoree Jackson, signed to a one-year deal in free agency, are expected to vie for the starting job on the other side of Mitchell.
Jackson called Ringo, who’s listed at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds “a freak of nature” as a cornerback for his size, speed and ability to control his weight and move with wide receivers.
Ringo is mostly unproven. Jackson, entering his ninth season, lost his starting job with the Giants in 2024.
It’s a big drop-off from Slay to either Ringo or Jackson.
It’s the same thing at safety replacing Gardner-Johnson. Brown tore his ACL in the season finale in 2023 and missed the first part of last season. Even when he returned, Tristin McCollum was the third safety, ahead of Brown.
Mukuba, although promising, has a long way to go before he’s ready.
All of this speaks to Fangio’s philosophy on defense, with the secondary as a microcosm: The best five players will play all the time, regardless of position.
That’s the case with DeJean, and that’s the case with Carter.
“Well, in last year’s case, we evolved to that (philosophy) 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.”
Even if it does, it’s just a question of where DeJean most helps the Eagles − at nickel, on the outside, or at safety.
Or all of the above.
