Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean, starting at cornerback, is making a strong case as a punt returner, too

Cooper DeJean’s punt-return style isn’t too far off from how he plays defense.

The Eagles rookie finally broke into the starting secondary on Oct. 13 coming off the bye week and might be making a strong enough case to earn an increased role as a punt returner for the rest of the year as well.

Fielding punts in place of Britain Covey as the third-year return specialist and slot receiver recovers from a shoulder injury that landed him on injured reserve, DeJean is averaging 14 yards per return on seven punts in his last two games. The second-round pick had a 28-yard return against the New York Giants on Sunday, contributing to an Eagles scoring drive midway through the second quarter.

Assessing how DeJean is different than Covey stylistically, Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay pointed to the former Iowa Hawkeye’s tendency to plow through would-be tacklers rather than evade them or get out of bounds.

“He’s kind of shockingly more stout than people give him credit for,” Clay said of the 6-foot, 198-pound DeJean. “You saw him run through a few tackles. But again, trying to tell him, ‘You don’t always have to run somebody over. You can get out of bounds and save those hits.’ But just like anything else, for a young guy like him, he’s trying to make the most of the opportunity and he’s doing a great job thus far.”

DeJean has done just that. Covey is required to miss at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve following the game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. Covey averaged 14.4 yards on punt returns last season, which ranked third in the NFL among qualifying returners according to Pro Football Focus. So far this season, he has had just one return for 9 yards against the Atlanta Falcons along with three fair catches.

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When asked if DeJean has shown enough in relief to warrant a role as a returner once Covey returns, Clay suggested it will be a good problem to have.

“It’s always a luxury when you have two viable options back there,” Clay said. “Obviously, both started off with good averages thus far. Coop is starting to get up there with his averages, I know he averaged about 15 last game and I think it was 13 the previous game. And you know Covey, he was up there as a top-three punt returner last year.”

Clay also mentioned the possibility of the Eagles using Covey and DeJean in tandem, pointing to the Patriots doing so with Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola at times when the two played in New England from 2013-16.

“You can add things in your game plan that you may not have been able to do,” Clay said. “Very similar to back in the day when New England had double returners with Edelman and Amendola right there, you get some opportunities. We’ll cross that bridge when we have to. We’re hoping Covey gets back healthy and [has a] speedy recovery, but we’re very confident in Coop going forward.”

DeJean also has hit the ground running as the team’s starting slot cornerback over the last couple of weeks. According to PFF, he has been targeted seven times since earning the job over Avonte Maddox. While DeJean has given up five catches, he has allowed just 16 yards on those plays.

The Eagles have fared noticeably better against the run coming out of the bye week in part due to DeJean’s ability to come downhill as a box defender as well. He has 10 tackles this season and logged a half-sack against the Cleveland Browns blitzing from the slot.

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“He’s very coachable, got a good demeanor to play,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said of DeJean. “I think that’s a strength of his that will only get better. I think the more he plays and the more experience that comes — you try to expose them to as much stuff as you can in practice, but obviously with the low reps at practice, you don’t get that done always. But I do think he’ll learn. He won’t be a repeat offender. If he makes a mistake on something new, it will be in his memory bank and it won’t happen again.”

Fangio conceded he doesn’t always enjoy watching a player of growing importance in his defense dropping back to field punts, but acknowledged it isn’t the first time he’s had to share a key cog in his system with the special teams.

“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,” Fangio said. “I didn’t like that, either. Just got to deal with it.”

The Eagles released veteran wide receiver Parris Campbell on Tuesday, according to a league source.

Campbell signed with the Eagles in the offseason but was cut coming out of training camp as the team prioritized rookie wideout Johnny Wilson and Covey as a return specialist over him.

The 27-year-old said he initially rebuffed the team’s offer for him to sign to the practice squad in the summer before eventually having a change of heart. He rejoined the team on the taxi squad ahead of the season opener against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. He is expected to rejoin the practice squad.

Campbell was called up three times earlier this season as the team’s wide receiver depth grew thin and was signed to the active roster going into the Eagles’ Week 7 game against the Browns. He has six catches for 30 yards and one touchdown this season.

Releasing Campbell will clear a spot on the 53-man roster for the Eagles. It’s worth noting that both rookie wideout Ainias Smith and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam have returned to practice and are eligible to rejoin the active roster after starting the season on injured reserve.