PHILADELPHIA — Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship hosted Vic Fangio on their podcast this summer. The visit brought an admission from the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator about DeJean that Fangio first revealed in the spring and showcased during offseason practices, when DeJean played safety while the Eagles aligned in their base defense.Fangio’s comment seemed especially relevant given that the star slot cornerback and the former starting safety shared the screen like they used to share the secondary.“Your days at corner hopefully are over,” Fangio told him on “Exciting Mics.” “… Coop is replacing Reed part time.”The context to the statement is that DeJean, a first-team All-Pro in his second season, is an every-down player for the Eagles. On most snaps, that means he plays in the slot — where he was considered the best in the NFL. When the Eagles are not playing with five or six defensive backs in the formation, they still want DeJean on the field. The question becomes where he plays.Last summer, DeJean alternated between cornerback and safety in the base defense, while Fangio tried to determine his best quartet. It was settled that DeJean would play at cornerback, where he lined up for about 22 percent of the defensive snaps last season. After the addition of Riq Woolen solidified the Eagles’ outside cornerback tandem with Quinyon Mitchell, DeJean will now focus on safety for any formation with four defensive backs.“I’m excited,” DeJean said in the spring. “I did it a little bit last year during training camp. I’ve been around it and feel like I’ve gotten to learn all the roles in this defense pretty well. So, yeah, I’m excited. It’s a good challenge for me, just trying to perfect that position now rather than going back and forth from safety to corner to nickel last year, just kind of sticking to that safety and nickel spot now. That’s been fun.”DeJean’s been touted for his versatility since the Eagles drafted him in the 2024 draft’s second round out of Iowa and there were questions about which position he would play. (In Dane Brugler’s scouting report in “The Beast” in 2024, he wrote that DeJean offers an “NFL starter-quality skill set that fits interchangeably at cornerback, safety or nickel.”) Fangio said last summer that DeJean could be a “good safety.” DeJean defended a route in practice that had previously caused the Eagles’ defense problems. DeJean defended it “like he’d been a safety his whole life.”DeJean said this spring that he’s been preparing for all three positions since he arrived. The close relationship with Blankenship, who was a three-year starter for the Eagles, rubbed off on DeJean. He also learned from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps. He even peppered starting safety Drew Mukuba with questions when Mukuba was a rookie.“Playing nickel in this defense is kind of like playing safety in a lot of ways,” DeJean said. “The techniques are pretty similar.”This is often referenced with safety and nickel, which is why players can shift between those spots. Michael Carter II, a candidate to start at safety for the Eagles, has been a slot cornerback throughout his NFL career. A cornerback knows he has the sideline on one side of him. He’s often on an island, but those who play in the slot and those who play safety need to mind all directions, while also navigating traffic in the middle of the field.But they’re not the same positions, carrying different responsibilities and different spacing on the field.“Anytime you move a little bit further away from the ball, now you’re talking about enhancing your vision and being able to maximize your visual tools, right?” said Eagles defensive backs coach Joe Kasper, who had previously been the team’s safeties coach. “The trick at safety is now things happen a little bit slower. I’m a little bit further away, but I’ve got to determine angles and space and time and distance a little bit differently. So, we’ve got to get him used to that.“Everything that he’s done at nickel, though, indicates that the understanding and feel for time and distance is not a bridge too far for him. That’s where maybe you’d see guys struggle with going from one spot to the other. He doesn’t have those issues that we actually enhance that element within how he plays the nickel position. So to me, it’s another way for us to continue to maximize a resource that we have.”DeJean is already one of the top young players in football, if only judged by the difference-maker he is at slot cornerback. He’s productive in coverage and against the run. He’s a physical player with size and athleticism. DeJean totaled 85 tackles last season with 16 passes defended, four tackles for losses and two interceptions.And his youth should not be understated. DeJean turned 23 in February. He’s younger than multiple defensive backs drafted this spring, including second-round picks Treydan Stukes and Bud Clark. Kasper said the “sky is the limit for him.”“He’s special in a lot of ways,” Kasper said in May. “The mental approach is outstanding, physical tools are outstanding, how he interacts with teammates is outstanding, how he interacts with me and the other coaches is outstanding. There’s not really a false note to him. It’s on me, and then on him too, to continue to grow and build. … He’s on a nice track, but there’s things he’s got to work on and get better at, too.“We’ve got a long time, obviously, between now and when we’ll see the final product for this year. So, we got to continue to chip things off, check things off of his list, but his versatility is a huge asset for us, and that’s about his mindset and his approach, both technical understanding, schematic understanding, but also just how he approaches his day-to-day.”Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean totaled 85 tackles in 2025 with 16 pass breakups, four tackles for losses and two interceptions. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)During the offseason, DeJean studied Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson — one of the most versatile defensive backs in NFL history. Woodson was an All-Pro at cornerback and safety. He spent time in the slot before it carried some of its present-day luster. But DeJean said the best way for him to learn is to play in the defense, and this summer offers him a better chance to find comfort in the role than last summer when the Eagles tried finding the best combination. The Eagles report to training camp on July 28.DeJean at safety also offers the Eagles flexibility with how to approach the defense. Fangio’s unit is set to be one of the NFL’s best. There are few question marks in the group. One is at safety, where the Eagles lost Blankenship in free agency to the Houston Texans and did not make a high-profile addition to replace him. Veteran Marcus Epps returns and is the favorite to start next to Mukuba, whose rookie season ended with an injury. Carter will spend time at safety.The Eagles traded away Sydney Brown, a former third-round pick who did not find his rhythm in Fangio’s defense. Fangio termed the second safety spot when the Eagles are in nickel as an “open competition.” And when he was first asked about the position, he revealed DeJean would play there in base.What remains unknown is how much weight DeJean adding safety to his repertoire storyline should carry. Fangio’s history would not suggest base defense will be heavily featured. The Eagles have played more snaps in nickel than any team in the NFL during Fangio’s two seasons and ranked No. 3 last season. DeJean is an established difference-maker in the slot. But playing DeJean deep at safety could also give the Eagles options. Mukuba, who spent time as a slot defender in college, offers the Eagles four starting defensive backs who can cover in base. Add in the athleticism of linebackers Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell, who both have range in coverage, and the Eagles could have flexibility to play more five-man fronts if they choose because of the way they can cover in the back end.Regardless, the position flexibility matters in the arc of DeJean’s career. He’s eligible for a contract extension after this season, and it could rewrite the market for slot cornerbacks. The Eagles believe he’s more than a nickel defender. He’s one of the best defensive backs in the NFL — and whether it’s 20 percent of the defensive snaps or more, he’ll have the chance to show he compares to the best safeties in the NFL this season.