Eagles secondary set for HUGE transformation with the arrival of Cooper DeJean & Sydney Brown

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off their bye week with one vision in mind – get back on track. That goal now looks a little more attainable with a flurry of players returning from injury, including DeVonta Smith and A.J Brown, but it’s the secondary that could see the biggest shakeup.

Cooper DeJean & Sydney Brown on the way to save the Eagles’ secondary

Rookie DB Cooper DeJean is set to make his Eagles debut this week, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noting tha Vic Fangio plans to play him at the nickel over Avonte Maddox. This is a big change for Philly, but a neccesary one.

Maddox was brought back on a cheap deal after being allowed to test free agency waters, but his play this season has hardly been reminiscent of the player fans have come to know and love. Missed tackles were a glaring issue against the Bucs and the corner has been frequently exposed with sort passes over the middle, surrendering a passer rating of 88+ in 2 of the 4 games this season.

Turning the reins over to a rookie is risky, but it’s not without upside or extra help. Second-year Safety Sydney Brown was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and could well be in-line to eat into Chauncey Gardner-Johnson’s snaps, with the veteran also struggling during the opening 4 matchups.

DeJean joins an Eagles defense that currently ranks 32nd in turnovers and 31st in sacks. A versatile weapon who could thrive in Fangio’s scheme, CDJ spent most of his time at Iowa last season on the boundary but feels better suited to a safety or nickel role. Nick Sirianni made it clear early on that the plan was to ease him into a nickel role in order to keep things simpler for the rookie, whose ball-hawking skills could be a critical addition to a defense that sorely needs them.

As for Sydney Brown, his rookie season was applauded by many. He put up 45 tackles, a TFL, 3 pass defenses, and a pick 6 during his first rodeo before a heartbreaking injury ripped the rug from under his feet. Brown is a physical safety and a profound tackler, having missed just 6% of tackles last year. Compare that to CJGJ, who has missed 10%+ in each of the last 4 years, and it’s easy to see how he could be valuable in matchups against slippery wideouts.

With two more defensive backs at their disposal, each thriving in different areas, it gives Vic Fangio more ways to shape his defense. The secondary has been deployed in a very conservative fashion over the last few weeks, which really doesn’t benefit from the total lack of pass-rushing pressure. We could well see combinations of Brown and CDJ storming into backfields off the edge on CB blitzes, or perhaps an extra DB on the field to drop back into coverage while an explosive player like Nakobe Dean can aid the ailing front-four.

While neither addition will transform this defense overnight, both players have talents that could at least negate some of the real weaknesses constantly being portrayed by the unit. It might take some time to get both up to speed, but there’s every chance that Sydney Brown and Cooper DeJean can become key playmakers on a defense crying out for them.

REUTERS/Carla Carniel