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Rookie Cooper DeJean ready for bigger role after bye week originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Cooper DeJean looks back at his only preseason action and laughs.
“It was ugly,” DeJean said on Wednesday. “I didn’t play well at all. I just feel like since that I’ve learned so much more about the defense and really all the positions and how they help each other, just to be more comfortable.”
That preseason finale was just about a month and a half ago, but the Eagles’ second-round pick thinks he has come a long way in that time. And now as the Eagles return from their early Week 5 bye week, all signs are pointing to a much bigger role for DeJean the rest of his rookie season.
Veteran nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox has struggled early this season and now would be a logical time to get DeJean into the action.
DeJean, 21, on Wednesday said the Eagles haven’t told him that he’s going to be a starter but if his role does increase, the rookie believes he’s ready.
“I’ve gotten more and more comfortable each week, being out there, getting more reps,” DeJean said. “I’ve been preparing like I’m going to play. That wouldn’t change if my role changed. I’m going to go out there and still prepare the same way.”
Had DeJean not suffered a hamstring injury before training camp that forced him to miss a few weeks, there’s a good chance he would have already been the Eagles’ nickel corner. But that injury clearly put him a bit behind.
In Week 1 of the season, DeJean was the Eagles’ extra defensive back in the dime package but that role was pulled from him in Week 2. The Eagles wanted him to focus on being a nickel cornerback — a move that foreshadowed an eventual change at the position — and have been working him in with the first team in practice from time to time.
“We’ll see how it goes this week,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Avonte has done a good job, Avonte has been a good player here for a long time and pleased with…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rookie-cooper-dejean-ready-bigger-110000788.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-10-10 11:00:00
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