We knew Cooper DeJean was going to impact the Eagles’ secondary, but after a 2-2 start, Vic Fangio’s defensive unit has been elite since the former Iowa star entered the starting lineup following the Week 5 bye. Legendary Hall of Fame defensive back Brian Dawkins sat down with The Eagles Wire to discuss mental health, his salute to service, and the growing pains in Philadelphia.
Dawkins praised Vic Fangio for getting comfortable and blitzing even more and then raved about Cooper DeJean and what he brings to the Philadelphia defense.
When asked about DeJean’s performance at the slot cornerback position as a rookie fresh out of college, Dawkins credited the former Iowa star with unlocking Fangio’s defense scheme even more.
Dawkins has a point, with DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell giving the Eagles dynamic versatility in the secondary. Among NFL cornerbacks with 75+ coverage snaps, DeJean ranks 2nd in PFF coverage grade (86.9), trailing only Marlon Humphrey (87.3).
His running mate has been just as dominant.
Quinyon Mitchell leads the Eagles with 6 PDs and ranks 3rd in the NFL with nine forced incompletions, behind Paulson Adebo (12) and Denzel Ward (12) (according to PFF). Mitchell has held opponents to a 51.3%
completion percentage (9th among NFL CBs, min. 35 targets).
