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Vic Fangio Worries About Cooper DeJean Returning Punts, but the Rookie is Really Good at it
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Most intriguing Eagles player these past couple of weeks? Cooper DeJean. The second round draft pick looks like he’s 15 years old but has slid right into the nickel corner spot with no issues. He’s earning high PFF grades, if you care about PFF, and he’s also done some really nice stuff in the punt return game:
EXCELLENT RETURN BY THE ROOKIE COOPER DEJEAN!!
(@cdejean23) with a gain of 28 yards! pic.twitter.com/dnPoHFc89T
— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) October 20, 2024
On the strength of that return in the Giants game, DeJean is one of 14 players with more than 100 punt return yards this year. That’s after nine returns. He’s actually one of only four players with 100+ punt return yards on single digit attempts, the other three being Braxton Berrios, Parker Washington, and Rashid Shaheed.
Through a limited sample size, DeJean has:
- nine returns
- a long of 28
- an 11.3 return yard average
- 102 total punt return yards
- 10 fair catches
- no muffs
Of course, you always ask yourself if you want a full-time starter back there returning punts in the first place. Vic Fangio told reporters midweek that he wasn’t totally down with it:
Do you worry at all about DB Cooper DeJean returning punts? He has ended up being a big part of the defense. Do you worry about him being on the field for that when you need him defensively as much as you do?(Bob Brookover)
VIC FANGIO: Yes.
How do you address that?(Bob Brookover)
VIC FANGIO: I don’t. NaVorro Bowman, going back to my San Francisco days, who was an All-Pro there for three straight years, he covered every punt for us for three straight years. And I didn’t like that, either. So, you’ve just got to deal with it.
For some context, Nakobe Dean has played four special teams snaps this year and Zack Baun 23, so it’s a very small slice for the starting linebackers. The Eagles aren’t replicating what Fangio experienced with Bowman in San Fran.
Special teams coordinator Michael Clay was asked about Fangio’s thoughts:
(Playing defense and also returning punts) is not an easy thing. I think (DeJean) manages it very well. He just stays locked in. He’s always in tune. It’s great to have a support system that we have here in terms of Aaron Moorehead getting with him during practice. I’m sure you guys see him on Thursdays. He’s with (Morehead) all the time catching off the punts, off the JUGS machine, doing drills. It’s almost like a security blanket for him to have him there.
But I think Coop does a great job of compartmentalizing things from the defense to when he knows he has to be out there for punt return. I think he’s getting more confidence doing it in terms of returning, when to return, when to fair catch.
I think Coop is doing a really good job in terms of all that in terms of breaking up the two from defense and punt return.
Compartmentalizing is one thing; avoiding injury is another. Nick Sirianni has the final decision, and maybe when Britain Covey comes back from injury, he’ll re-assume punt return duties, but as well as DeJean has been playing there, it’s hard to envision them taking him out of that role. Is there a risk? Sure. But DeJean looks like he’s gonna break one for a touchdown at some point.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com