Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean held out of practice; Zack Baun earns NFC weekly honors
DeJean, who appeared to be wearing a sleeve on his left leg, was sidelined for Wednesday’s practice with calf and abdomen injuries.
Despite sitting out of Wednesday’s practice with calf and abdomen injuries, Cooper DeJean says he expects to play in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
DeJean, 23, confirmed that he sustained an injury late in the second quarter of the Eagles’ season-opening victory over the Washington Commanders. After he tackled Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a reception, DeJean stood up and grabbed the left side of his abdomen. Additionally, DeJean appeared to be wearing a sleeve on his left leg at Wednesday’s practice.
“I hate it,” DeJean said of missing practice. “Wish I could have been out there today. Obviously, you’re missing a day, you’re not getting the looks. So you’ve got to do as much as you can on the side watching the reps and watching the film as well.”
He didn’t miss any snaps due to injury during the game, and he said Wednesday that he wasn’t affected much by it.
Still, he struggled at times in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, DeJean conceded seven receptions on nine targets for 83 yards and a touchdown. Diggs did the most damage against DeJean, amassing four receptions on five targets for 55 yards and a touchdown in that matchup.
» READ MORE: What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 2 vs. the Titans
After the game, DeJean said that he “wasn’t good enough” in his debut in his new role, which requires him to play safety in base defense and move to the slot in nickel.
“Sometimes my eyes get bad and that gets me in trouble,” DeJean said at the time. “Just got to be better with that. The good thing is it’s Week 1. We got a lot of games ahead of us and I got to continue to get better for our defense.”
On Tuesday, Vic Fangio agreed with DeJean’s assessment of his play, particularly regarding his eye discipline.
“I think it can happen at times, and at times it’s helped him, too,” the Eagles defensive coordinator said. “He’s just got to make sure he can stay tight enough to his assignment and not let his vision get too skewed to where he gets out of position.”
The Eagles will practice two more times this week before they travel to Nashville, Tenn., to take on the Titans. DeJean said he expects to practice at some point before the game.
Come Sunday, DeJean will be matched up against a familiar face in the slot — Wan’Dale Robinson, the former New York Giants slot receiver. Robinson, who is 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, reunited in Tennessee with Brian Daboll, the former Giants head coach who is now the Titans’ offensive coordinator.
Sunday against the New York Jets, Robinson caught two of three targets for 18 yards when lined up in the slot, according to Next Gen Stats.
He hasn’t had much success against DeJean. The Eagles defensive back wasn’t targeted on 16 slot matchups with Robinson last season, making him the only defender with a minimum of 10 slot matchups against Robinson to not see a target, according to Next Gen Stats. Still, DeJean expressed respect for the 25-year-old receiver.
“Shifty guy in the slot,” DeJean said. “Understands how to get open. Obviously, he’s played with the coordinator before, so understands the offense and the scheme. I feel like him and the quarterback already got a pretty good connection. So I’m looking forward to our matchup Sunday.”
If, for some reason, DeJean is not healthy enough to play against the Titans, or if he drops out midgame, Michael Carter II would be the next man up. Carter, 27, joined the Eagles at the trade deadline last year after beginning his career with the New York Jets as a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft from Duke.
In Week 1, Carter played six defensive snaps — four at safety and two as the sixth defensive back in the dime package. He appeared in eight games with the Eagles at the end of last season, and 65 (25 starts) with the Jets over 4½ years.
Baun is NFC Defensive Player of the Week
The NFL named Zack Baun its NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his standout performance in Week 1 against the Commanders.
Baun, 29, racked up 12 tackles, two pass breakups, and a tackle for loss in the Eagles’ win. He was targeted six times in coverage and conceded three receptions for minus-2 yards, according to Next Gen Stats.
He is one of two defenders since the start of last season (with Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward) to allow negative receiving yards on at least five targets in a contest.
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Baun previously earned Defensive Player of the Week after a 2024 Week 10 showing against the Dallas Cowboys, in which he totaled eight tackles, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
He is the third Eagles linebacker to win the award more than once, joining Seth Joyner (three) and William Thomas (two). Since joining the Eagles two years ago, Baun has elevated his play from core special-teamer with the New Orleans Saints to All-Pro inside linebacker.
“He has this amazing work ethic,” coach Nick Sirianni said on Wednesday. “None of us know our ceiling. What I mean is, none of us know our actual potential, our ceiling, because so much can happen when you work your [butt] off. I may think to myself, ‘Well, my kids aren’t going to be NFL football players because I wasn’t,’ but that’s not fair to say because nobody knows what their potential is until they put the work in.
“That’s a great example of Zack: He is highly talented and he puts the work in.”
Other injury news
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter (wrist) also missed Wednesday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who missed the Week 1 win over the Commanders with a pectoral injury, was a limited participant.
The Eagles eked out a season-opening win over the Washington Commanders thanks, in large part, to Jalen Hurts channeling the elements of his game that make him so dangerous. But when it comes to other areas of the offense, concerns from last year still linger. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy assess Hurts’ performance, Sean Mannion’s debut as offensive coordinator, and warning signs on the offensive line Listen here.
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