A lot has been made of the changes this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles, including what is happening on defense as much as on offense.
Vic Fangio might still be running the show as defensive coordinator, but the Eagles lost key defenders in Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean, and Reed Blankenship, replacing those guys with Jonathan Greenard in a trade, promoting Jihaad Campbell, and moving Cooper DeJean to safety in "base" defense. Fangio appeared on DeJean and Blankenship's "Exciting Mics" podcast, where he told DeJean to his face what to expect in 2026.
"Coop, your days at corner hopefully are over. But I will also tell you, you better stay honed up at corner," Fangio said. "There hasn't been much said that Coop might be replacing Reed part-time."
Vic Fangio has plans for Cooper DeJean to partially replace Reed Blankenship
In the past, Fangio has been very adamant about keeping DeJean in the nickel, as he can mix in some play at cornerback and safety. Many fans interpret Fangio's message to DeJean as more of him playing outside corner and being done with that.
Honestly, that would make sense if Fangio meant it that way, but there is some truth to DeJean playing more safety. DeJean is a tackling machine at nickel, as he racked up 93 last season, with 64 of them being solo tackles. He has proven to be the best tackler among the cornerbacks.
DeJean's coverage skills are too valuable, though, for him to be completely removed from corner. He has 16 pass deflections, two interceptions, and allowed a completion percentage of 60.5%, leading to him being a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selection last season.
With Blankenship gone, Marcus Epps is expected to be his full-time replacement at safety with Andrew Mukuba on the opposite side. Epps still has to earn the job from Michael Carter II, Cole Wisniewski, Kapena Gushiken, Andre' Sam, and J.T. Gray.
Losing Blankenship was a tough break for the Eagles, but expected after he signed a three-year deal with the Houston Texans worth over $8 million per year. Fangio has been planning for this moment and knows that it's time for DeJean to slowly work his way into that safety role.
From a business perspective as well, the Eagles probably wouldn't mind DeJean playing a little bit more at safety as well. Cornerbacks typically get paid more than safeties, so it might put the team in a situation where they save some money when it comes time to give DeJean and fellow All-Pro corner Quinyon Mitchell contract extensions.
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Fangio knows he has something special in DeJean and can use him as a chess piece on the field, as he does. The young hybrid between cornerback and safety is only going to get better with age and will be a valuable weapon in this Eagles defense as long as the team is smart enough to keep him in Philly.
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