The Philadelphia Eagles filled one of their biggest needs ahead of next week’s deadline, reportedly acquiring cornerback Michael Carter II from the New York Jets on Wednesday afternoon, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Carter adds another body to a room that has a shutdown corner in Quinyon Mitchell, but has had issues finding someone to fill the opposite side, as Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson have both struggled to fill the position thus far.
At first glance, one would assume that Carter would be the next player to get the chance to fill that role. But his usage with the Jets suggests otherwise. According to The Athletic’s Zach Berman, Carter has spent 85% of his snaps in the slot during his five seasons in the NFL, which could suggest a big change coming for current Eagles slot corner Cooper DeJean.
Eagles CB Cooper DeJean Set for Outside Role After Michael Carter II Trade
Carter’s arrival means there’s a good chance that DeJean will be moving to the outside when Philadelphia returns from its Week 9 bye. It’s not an unfamiliar position for DeJean, who played all but 19 of his defensive snaps on the outside during his final season at the University of Iowa in 2023. He’s also shown to be effective when playing on the outside, allowing 20 catches for 194 yards with two interceptions and four pass breakups on 46 targets in his final collegiate season, according to Pro Football Focus.
While he’s up for the challenge of playing outside corner – allowing nine catches for 95 yards with an interception on 15 targets during his professional career – Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has used DeJean in the slot on 52.9% of his defensive snaps in part because he believes it suits his strengths.
“We considered it,” Fangio said via Berman on Tuesday when asked if DeJean could play more on the outside. “But when you have one of the better players at a certain position, and it’s an important position where you get involved more, you hate to take a really good player at one position to maybe not be as good of a player or impactful of a player at another position. But it’s definitely something that we’ve talked about.”
To Fangio’s point, Carter is a downgrade to what DeJean has been doing in the slot this season. DeJean ranks sixth among 38 qualifying slot corners with 0.67 yards allowed per coverage snap this season, while Carter is down at 28th with 1.37 yards per coverage snap. DeJean is also second behind Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (12.8) with 12.2 coverage snaps per reception in the slot this season, while Carter is at 8.4.
Still, DeJean has a low bar to clear on the outside. Ringo (1.10) and Jackson (1.63) were well over a yard per coverage snap this season, and Parry Nickerson hasn’t been able to stay on the field, playing 12 total snaps and allowing all three of his targets to be caught for 32 yards.
It will take some time for Fangio to get over losing his top slot corner, but DeJean will have to move on quickly to accept the best role for the team. If DeJean is up for the challenge, the Eagles should be better for it in the second half, making the addition of Carter a key one in Philadelphia’s championship defense.