Vic Fangio Claims Eagles Fan Favorite is ‘Behind’ Heading Into Week 2

When the Philadelphia Eagles used a second-round pick on Cooper DeJean out of Iowa, they were in awe of his defensive versatility. He was a do-it-all, multi-positional defensive back who could make a big impact on the Eagles' secondary that struggled immensely in 2023. Unfortunately, however, the talented defender out of Iowa hasn't had the start to his NFL career that he had envisioned.

The new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio addressed DeJean and his struggles. According to Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton, Fangio said that DeJean is still behind and the team is still trying to catch him up.

Eagles News: Cooper DeJean Still Not Ready to Contribute

DeJean suffered a hamstring injury prior to training camp and missed significant time. This certainly played a part in the Eagles' inability to bring him up to speed. Fangio added that they "have to keep practicing him a bunch and get him comfortable".

This is disappointing to hear from Eagles fans as they had high hopes for the prized rookie. DeJean was able to ramp up during the preseason and played 46 snaps in the preseason finale against the Vikings. He wasn't particularly impressive in that game but it gave the fans the impression that he would play a role to start the season.

Instead, DeJean played six defensive and 23 special teams snaps against the Packers in Week 1. This was surprising, especially considering that cornerback Isaiah Rodgers suffered a hand injury and Avonte Maddox was struggling at the nickel spot. DeJean failed to register any stat in that limited playing time. And it sounds like it will be a while before he is a big part of Fangio's defensive plan.

More Eagles news and rumors: