Eagles Coach Makes Shocking Admission Following Cooper DeJean’s Debut

The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-2 on the season and have a divisional tilt against the New York Giants in Week 7. They are seeking to add another win to the column and keep the positive vibes going.

Coming out of the bye, the Eagles made some tweaks and changes to the team. One of those was putting rookie Cooper DeJean in the starting lineup. His progression was delayed after he suffered a hamstring injury in the summer. That sidelined him throughout training camp and forced him to lose valuable reps.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio ended up thrusting DeJean into the starting lineup but didn't know if he was ready for the workload.

He was asked when he knew DeJean was ready but his answer will shock fans.

"I didn't. You’ve got to practice, and the only way to really get him ready in practice was to put him in there and get him the reps. Because if he’s the backup, you can’t get many reps when reps are at a premium, anyway. So, it was just, in my opinion, time to put him in there, and let him get all the preparation, and see what he can do."

- Eagles DC Vic Fangio

Fangio also added that DeJean got fewer reps as a backup due to a condensed practice schedule following Monday Night Football and the bye week.

The Eagles decided to throw the rookie out there to see what he could do. The Iowa product finished with six total tackles and a half sack. In addition, he finished with a 70.7 overall grade and a 75.8 coverage grade per PFF. Despite the lack of reps, DeJean looked good out there.

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