All About That Base

PHILADELPHIA — Cooper DeJean loves a good challenge.

Encircled by a sea of reporters coming off the NovaCare Complex practice field on Thursday, the 22-year-old defensive back collected himself, appearing poised and much like his teammates, present in the moment.

Already heralded as one of the game’s top nickelbacks in the wake of a tantalizing rookie campaign, DeJean donned multiple hats at times during spring practices, and the balancing act has persisted through the first two training camp sessions that included moonlighting at corner and safety.

Upon arriving in Philadelphia last spring as a second-round pick, grasping the intricacies of multiple positions was always DeJean’s expectation. He anticipated learning all three positions coming in. The difference this year, however, has been repping at those positions on the practice field.

DeJean, who last spring suffered a hamstring injury while training in Iowa that shortened his training camp, instead experienced a crash course in learning the nickel role. And it wasn’t until the Eagles’ Week 6 home game against the Browns that DeJean was prominently involved in the defensive plans. But the unique blend of athleticism, play recognition, instincts and football intelligence influenced the prospects of an expanded role in Year 2.

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles DB Cooper DeJean is working at nickel, corner and safety at training camp.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, presiding over DeJean’s progression, has been consistent in his messaging regarding DeJean’s versatility. Fangio didn’t mince words when conveying his vision.

“The primary motive is we’d like to have him be part of our base package, and I do believe he can play safety,” Fangio said. “It’s new for him so we’re going to give him some work there. Then you’ll see days in the base where he’ll play some corner, so it’s going to be an evolution and a lot of it will depend upon how well we do at those positions with the other guys. So we’ll make the best decision for the team based upon. It’s not only how he’s doing, it’s going to be determined by how everybody’s doing. That’s safety and corner.”

Base defense is when the Eagles play just four defensive backs (two corners, two safeties), and typically with a five-man defensive line using a nose tackle as the extra lineman. The nose tackle comes off the field in nickel defense and other sub packages, swapped for an extra defensive back known as the nickelback.

As for DeJean, who opened the first two training camp practices alongside Reed Blankenship at safety when the Eagles were in base defense, he’s taking the learning curve in stride, drawing a comparison between nickel and safety while also admitting he remains a work in progress.

“It’s a different perspective back there,” he said. “Still kind of getting used to being back there and playing that position. “There’s some differences, some similarities to nickel and safety. But right now, I’m still learning the position and trying to get comfortable back there.”

The notable differences, he said, directly pertains to making calls and coming down and fitting from a different spot on the field. Now, it’s about establishing a comfortability and acclimating to bouncing between positions. The value of positional versatility was always an appealing bonus in adding a dynamic defensive back like DeJean into the Eagles’ secondary plans. That the Iowa product can conceivably alter the game from multiple positions arms Fangio with flexibility and creativity depending on matchups and what ultimately transpires in the position battles at safety and corner.

For DeJean, who loves a challenge, the expanded workload is something he’s prepared for and embraced. DeJean didn’t lobby for a positional preference, nor did he at any point project the sense of being overwhelmed. Rather, he’s committed to the undertaking and is entrusting his coaches to deploy him where he can most help a remade defense.

“No preference, really,” he said. “Obviously, when we’re in base, I have to come off the field. So, find a way to stay on the field and just trusting the coaches in them putting me in the right position … whether it’s safety, corner in base. Obviously nickel when we’re in nickel. But trusting those coaches to put me where I fit best and where I can impact the defense.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.