One of the biggest mistakes that Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made last year was not getting the CB2 position correct with either Adoree' Jackson or Kelee Ringo.
While Jackson played well late in the season, it was All-Pros Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell that carried the load in the secondary and had fantastic years. Roseman spoke with reporters at the NFL Combine about the CB2 position and made some interesting comments about DeJean.
"I think that when you look at a Q (Quinyon Mitchell) and Coop (DeJean) leading that group, two All-Pro players, guys who we want to be part of Philadelphia Eagles for a long time," Roseman said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "Really coop, he can play anything. He can play outside corner, he can play nickel, he can play at an All-Pro level, anywhere. So having him gives you some flexibility. And so we'll go into the off-season and looking to add to that position. Adoree' did a really nice job for us last year, and got better throughout the course of the year. And so just like any other position, he's a free agent, and we'll just kind of see how the offseason plays out."
Cooper DeJean can play all kinds of positions in the secondary according to Howie Roseman
Last season, during the year, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made it clear he preferred to have DeJean in the slot. During the Week 12 game against the Dallas Cowboys, DeJean was moved to the outside with Jackson injured, and it didn't go well, proving he should be in the slot, where he thrives.
There are no questions about Mitchell as he is the top shutdown corner in the NFL, so there won't be any arguments there. DeJean has been a star in the slot, covering slot receivers well, and he was massive in run support last season.
Jackson deserves props for having a strong last month of the season outside of the San Francisco 49ers' Wild Card loss. The problem is he didn't play consistently well enough to hold that position in 2026.
Philly will have to address the CB2 position either in free agency or the draft. Some mock drafts have the Eagles taking a cornerback to fill that role, but the team has other needs like finding a future left tackle, a wide receiver, and potentially an edge rusher.
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DeJean is a great player and the best slot corner in the NFL, but moving him outside might not be the best decision. Roseman and Fangio have to find a suitable outside corner to hold down that position, so expect the Eagles to look in free agency or the draft to address that lingering issue.