NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
How close is Cooper DeJean to being ready for full-time slot duty? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Cooper DeJean is going to be the Eagles’ full-time slot at some point. It seems inevitable. It’s just a matter of when.
There were a lot of moving pieces in the secondary Friday night in the Eagles’ opener in São Paulo. With Isaiah Rodgers inactive with a hand injury, rookie 1st-round pick Quinyon Mitchell played virtually the entire game at outside corner – 63 of 67 snaps – and Avonte Maddox, who has been mainly a backup safety in training camp, was back in the slot, where he played 60 of 67 snaps.
DeJean, the Eagles’ other rookie corner and the heir apparent to Maddox in the slot, got his first taste of the NFL with six snaps on defense and 23 on special teams.
Rodgers returned to practice Thursday, so now you have Rodgers, Mitchell, Maddox and DeJean and three cornerback positions.
What happens next?
We’ll start with Maddox, who had a rough day in what was only his 14th game over the last three years.
Among 48 defensive backs league-wide who were targeted at least five times in Week 1, his 104.2 defensive passer rating ranked 36th. He committed a 13-yard pass interference on Dontayvion Wicks at the Eagles’ 2-yard-line a play before Jordan Love’s touchdown pass to Christian Watson with Maddox slipping in coverage.
The field was clearly an issue for everybody, but it seemed to affect Maddox in particular.
But he refused to use it as an excuse.
“I could be better in certain areas, but I’m not going to blame the field,” he said. … “The field was a little bit terrible but that’s not an excuse. I’m always critical of myself. I watch film and see what I could have done better, what I could have done more effectively and see what things I could fix.
“I never really blame (anything) on a field, but you know, it was slick. It was a hard surface to play on. But it’s football. It’s never going to be perfect when you’re out…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/close-cooper-dejean-being-ready-134926187.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-09-13 13:49:26
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
