Everyone’s still talking about Cooper DeJean’s big hit
“I didn’t expect to fully pick him up and put him on the ground," the Eagles defensive back said about his monster hit on Ravens running back Derrick Henry.
One of the highlights of the Eagles’ win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday was rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean’s monster hit on Derrick Henry during the fourth quarter.
“Cooper DeJean comes up, wraps him up, lifts him up, and puts him on his back,” Eagles radio announcer Mike Quick said during the broadcast. “You rarely see that!”
“A friendly reminder that Derrick Henry has about a 50-pound advantage on Cooper DeJean,” wrote The Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner.
“It was cool,” DeJean told reporters following the game Sunday. “I didn’t expect to fully pick him up and put him on the ground.”
“He’s a big dude,” DeJean added. “I felt it, for sure. Luckily he was just turning around so he really didn’t see me coming so I could sneak up on him and make the tackle.”
After the hit, “Not a safety” was trending on social media because some NFL evaluators viewed DeJean as a safety coming out of Iowa, where he was the school’s highest-drafted defensive back since 1997, despite slipping out of the first round.
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DeJean and fellow rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell have been among the best defensive duos in the league this season. Both have made serious contributions to an Eagles defense ranked No. 3 against the pass in the NFL, allowing just 178 passing yards per game.
“Cooper DeJean can PLAY,” former FS1 and ESPN host Skip Bayless wrote on social media. “Eagles got the TWO best corners in the draft, and both are already playing at a difference-making level.”