Eagles are planning to play Cooper DeJean everywhere in Vic Fangio's defense
Eagles are planning to play Cooper DeJean everywhere in Vic Fangio's defense Vic Fangio said, "I really like him as the nickel" when asked about what position Cooper DeJean will play for the Eagles in 2025, but the second-year DB lined up everywhere on Day 2 of OTAs
Cooper DeJean was a primary reason the Eagles only lost one game after the Week 5 bye, and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist is already one of the most versatile defenders in the NFL. After Philadelphia saw Darius Slay (Steelers), Isaiah Rodgers (Vikings), Avonte Maddox (Lions), and James Bradberry (UFA) all exit, there was talk of DeJean moving to the outside cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell.
Back in April, before the NFL draft, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was a special guest of the Phillies and watched Philadelphia defeat Colorado 4-1 to remain in first place. During a brief conversation with John Clark of NBC Sports, Fangio was asked about a potential position switch for DeJean, and shot that idea down.
'I really like him as the nickel. I'd like to see him stay at nickel. He plays it very well. He's got good size in there. I think he enjoys playing in that position.'
The news means Kelee Ringo, Adoree' Jackson, and Eli Ricks will be among the early contenders to win a competition.
On Wednesday, during Day 1 of the Eagles' OTAs, DeJean lined up at multiple positions and confirmed after the practice that he'll see action all over the field.
We can confirm that DeJean took snaps at all three cornerback spots, as well as snaps at safety on Wednesday.
DeJean logged 51 tackles (38 solo) as a rookie, including 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries across 16 regular-season games in 2024. DeJean's biggest and best moment came in Super Bowl LIX against the Chiefs, when he picked off Patrick Mahomes for a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown on his birthday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trey Hendrickson predicted to lose contract standoff with Bengals
As written here consistently, barring a shocker, it has long felt like the Cincinnati Bengals will eventually emerge the "winners" of the contract standoff with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Those Bengals just happen to hold the vast majority of the leverage during this latest contract impasse with Hendrickson, despite the All-Pro's recent 20-plus minute airing of grievances at a team practice. Advertisement Despite this, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated slots Hendrickson losing the standoff as one of his bold predictions for the season: "The alternative is to become Haason Reddick, which, for a player entering his age-31 season, cannot be appetizing. By taking the Bengals' reported current offer, Hendrickson can upgrade his salary by nearly $12 million and, while still being underpaid, improve upon his prospects for next offseason more by staying in Cincinnati than he could as a year-to-year mercenary for less on another roster." RELATED: Bengals UDFA is already turning heads at OTAs By now, Bengals fans know that isn't all that bold, though. This is merely the latest offseason dustup with Hendrickson over a contract. Past years have featured short one-year extensions and even reported threats of retirement. This offseason featured the Bengals actually granting him permission to seek a trade that never happened due to his age, production level, contract demands and trade asking price, to name a few factors. Advertisement Right now, Hendrickson is simply using every last bit of leverage he has left to make noise before the fines start to kick in during mandatory minicamp this month and training camp after that. He's extremely unlikely to actually miss games at his age with millions of dollars lost in fines while hurting his value with other teams. Hendrickson will likely wind up "losing' this affair in the form of a massive pay raise over the short-term, but just not for the exact number or years he and his reps seek. RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals players missing OTAs list ahead of training camp This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Trey Hendrickson predicted to lose contract standoff with Bengals
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
8 biggest takeaways from the Panthers' opening week of 2025 OTAs
8 biggest takeaways from the Panthers' opening week of 2025 OTAs After a weekend off, the Carolina Panthers are set to return to the practice field on Monday for their second and final string of organized team activities. Tomorrow's outing will mark the first of three sessions for the week, with the second coming on Tuesday, June 3 and the third on Thursday, June 5. But before they get started, let's look back at the biggest takeaways from the Panthers' first week of OTAs . . . The recovery of Derrick Brown moves along Eight months after undergoing season-ending meniscus surgery, defensive lineman Derrick Brown appeared on the practice field with his helmet in hand this past Tuesday. And although he did not end up participating in team drills, the Pro Bowler's presence feels like a positive sign moving forward. Brown talked about his recovery last month. "Just doing what the doctors and the trainers are allowing me to do at this point. No rush," he said back on Apr. 23. "Just trying to get back and I would like to be able to be there when the team gets ready to play in September. So I'm following the protocol as is." Carolina's young tight ends will have to step up Unlike Brown, tight end Tommy Tremble probably isn't planning on being ready for September. Canales revealed that Tremble, who signed a new two-year deal this spring, recently underwent back surgery. "Tommy did have surgery on his back last week, a successful surgery," Canales stated. "We were kinda thinking about it, talking about it, looking at timelines and all that and just felt like for him . . . he's 25 years old. Let's get this thing while he's young and strong and be able to get him back on the right track. So we just decided to do that now, looking forward." A team spokesperson later added that Tremble is expected to be rehabbing by the time training camp rolls around, putting his early-season availability into considerable doubt. If Tremble is not good to go by Week 1, the Panthers may be looking for something extra out 2024 fourth-round pick Ja'Tavion Sanders and 2025 fifth-round pick Mitchell Evans. Hunter Renfrow continues his comeback Canales also spoke about veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who hasn't played an NFL down since 2023. "You see weekly, he just makes these huge strides, just getting his feet under him," Canales said. "And I can tell too, just having coached wide receivers especially, but he's got a lot in his game. Releases, top-of-the-route setup, avoidance, different things where he can double up stuff at the top of his routes. Renfrow, 29, missed the entire 2024 campaign due to a battle with ulcerative colitis. The Panthers signed the Myrtle Beach, S.C. native and Clemson University product in late April. Xavier Legette looks to bounce back Wideout Xavier Legette didn't have the finest of stretches to end his rookie campaign. But with one season of NFL ball under Legette's belt and a fellow first-round receiver now by his side, Canales is hoping for a leap out of the second-year pass catcher. "What I see is a year into the system," he told reporters. "Just the speed that he's playing with now, with the level of comfort he has with what we're doing. When I see him smiling, I know he's in a good space. And he really has just been enjoying this offseason. Working hard. He looks big and fast. "And I think with TMac [Tetairoa McMillan] coming into the room, again, it's just options," Canales later added. "It opens things up, it creates a little bit of balance—where the field doesn't tilt one way or the other. So you have two guys who can make it happen outside and that's a good thing." After taking Legette with the 32nd overall pick in 2024, the Panthers nabbed McMillan with this year's eighth overall pick. Locking horns in Houston The Panthers, as they'd hoped, were able to set up a joint practice with the Houston Texans for later this summer. That workout will come before the teams face off in the second week of the preseason at NRG Stadium on Aug. 16. Carolina also has a joint practice slated with the Cleveland Browns, their first opponent for exhibition play. Early stages of the kicker competition With Eddy Piñeiro left unsigned, the Panthers are on the hunt for a new placekicker. The two contenders for the job are veteran journeyman Matthew Wright and undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald. Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith broke down the differences between them on Wednesday. "Matt is more experienced," Smith stated. "He's played on more NFL teams. He has a whole year of the kickoff rule he's dealt with. The box is checked. He knows what he's doing on that. He's ahead mentally on all that stuff. "Ryan is coming straight from college. So all of the rule stuff, it's all first time out. It's practicing with an NFL team—it's completely different, the lifestyle and all those things. So he's different in that way. But also a very successful last two years in college, has a great leg. "So we're kinda seeing pros and cons of each guy and seeing where it goes. There's no reason to really call a leader anywhere in the near future." Wright, who has picked up 17 different stints with nine NFL teams, has converted on 55 of his 63 career field goal attempts (87.3 percent). He has also booted through 41 of his 43 extra point tries. Fitzgerald, over his last three seasons at Florida State University, converted on 44 of his 54 field goals (80 percent) and 129 of his 130 extra points. Rebuilding the edge The Panthers are leaving their pass-rushing responsibilities to the youngsters. 32-year-old Jadeveon Clowney was released three weeks ago, leaving the unit without one of its 2024 sack leaders. And while defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was thankful for Clowney's work last season, he and the organization are hoping its fresher faces will seize their new opportunities. "We're certainly looking for everyone in that room—and really, on the entire defense, coaches included—to perform better," Evero said of the outside linebackers. "But in terms of leadership, I certainly love what Pat Jones is gonna bring to the table, what D.J. Wonnum is gonna bring to the table, DJ Johnson going into his third year, the leadership of Coach [AC] Carter as well. "So, at the end of the day, there's opportunity for everyone in that room. There's competition for everyone in that room. There's competition all the way across our defense and we're excited about that." Carolina signed Jones to a two-year, $15 million deal this spring. The 26-year-old is coming off a career-high 7.0 sacks and 12 quarterback hits. They also drafted two pass rushers, Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, on the second day of the 2025 NFL draft. Adding another element to the offense Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik was asked what he thinks McMillan adds to the offense. "TMac, he does a phenomenal job of being friendly to the quarterback in every route he runs," Idzik stated. "You talk about shaving the top of routes on in-breaks to out-breaks and being a hands catcher, he does a great job in that right. And I think he's just another element to this group of guys, that when they're playing confident, you have to take advantage of defenses that are not pushing coverage towards one individual or the other. "So, I think that's what we're most excited about. He's a true pass catcher. He's got the whole route tree under his belt that he can run and we're just trying to keep him up to speed with the rest of the guys as we push the envelope on how much they can handle." McMillan comes in off a very productive collegiate career. He reeled in 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns during his three years at the University of Arizona. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Iowa football legend among top 25 coaches of the 21st century
Iowa football legend among top 25 coaches of the 21st century As the 2025-26 college football season is just around the corner, The Athletic's Chris Vannini ranked the nation's top 25 head coaches of the 21st century, with Iowa's Kirk Ferentz making the list among the sport's elite names. According to Vannini's rankings, Ferentz was named as the No. 22 coach on the list. Vaninni shared that the Iowa legend's consistency is underrated amongst other coaches of his stature. Ferentz will pass Woody Hayes as the winningest coach in Big Ten history with two more victories. His consistency is underrated, reaching bowl eligibility in 23 of the last 24 seasons with five top-10 finishes. The Hawkeyes have had five Top 25 finishes in the last seven seasons but no top-10 finishes since 2015. - Chris Vaninni, The Athletic. Regarding the accomplishments that allowed the Hawkeyes' head coach to reside in the No. 22 slot, Vaninni listed Ferentz's two Big Ten championships, five top-10 finishes, three BCS and New Year's Six bowl appearances and eight double-digit-win seasons as evidence to support his ranking. Ferentz took over the head coaching duties in Iowa City in the 1999 season following the illustrious career of College Football Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry, who retired after a 143-89-6 record over 20 years with the Hawkeyes. Despite struggles in the early years of Ferentz's tenure at Iowa, the Hawkeyes' program eventually found even ground and has now evolved into a well-respected program that has continuously developed NFL-ready talent year after year. Ferentz's recent success with the Hawkeyes also places Iowa in an elite group of programs that have recorded at least eight wins in each of the last 10 seasons, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State. Concerning how other Big Ten coaches fared in the rankings, 10 of the top 25 names listed either currently coach or were formerly involved with a program in the now-18-member Big Ten conference. That lists includes, former Oregon and UCLA coach Chip Kelly at No. 24, former Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio at No. 21, current USC coach Lincoln Riley at No. 20, current Penn State coach James Franklin at No. 15, current Ohio State coach Ryan Day at No. 11, former Washington head coach Chris Petersen at No. 10, former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh at No. 8, former Ohio State coaches Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer listed at No. 7 and No. 2 respectfully, with former USC coach Pete Carroll between the two Buckeyes at No. 3. Due to the recent criteria alteration for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, former Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach is eligible for a posthumous entry. Ferentz's 59.8% all-time win record would make him eligible for immediate consideration upon retirement. With Iowa preparing for its upcoming 2025-26 season over the summer, could a particularly successful season in Iowa City constitute a higher ranking for the Hawkeyes' winningest head coach among his peers? Fans can make that judgment once Iowa's season begins on Aug. 30, when the Hawkeyes host Albany from Kinnick Stadium at 5 p.m. CT on FS1. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
