Vic Fangio Hints at New Role for Cooper DeJean in 2025 — But It’s Not Permanent

One of the biggest question marks heading into Eagles training camp isn’t Jalen Hurts’ leadership or the wide receiver depth. It’s the black hole left behind by the departure of C.J. Gardner-Johnson—again—this time to the Houston Texans.

The Eagles defense, now under the iron chessboard of Vic Fangio, is trying to patch up the safety spot opposite Reed Blankenship. There’s a three-way battle going on between Sydney Brown, rookie Andrew Mukuba, and Tristin McCollum for the job.

But now, there’s a wildcard in the mix.

Enter: Cooper DeJean.

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says trading CJ Gardner Johnson was a salary cap Decision from Howie Roseman and Vic says he was fine with it.

Vic says Nakobe Dean won’t be back anytime soon. He says rookie first round draft pick Jihaad Campbell won’t be able to… pic.twitter.com/t7057bW12v

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 3, 2025

At minicamp this week, Fangio dropped a little nugget that had reporters—and fans—raising their eyebrows. When asked about DeJean’s role, the longtime defensive guru name-dropped safety as a potential look in base defense.

“We’d like to keep him at nickel,” Fangio said Wednesday. “And then in our base package, we’ll find a spot for him either at corner or safety.”

Why It’s More About Flexibility Than a Full-Time Position Switch

Let’s be clear here—this isn’t some wild overhaul. Cooper DeJean isn’t being turned into Brian Dawkins 2.0 overnight. This is strictly about getting your best 11 guys on the field at all times. And when the Eagles do go into their rare base defense (which they only ran 160 snaps last year—less than 10% of total defensive plays), it gives Fangio flexibility to keep DeJean involved without sacrificing coverage talent.

“In last year’s case, we evolved to that because once Cooper started to play very well, it got him on the field more,” Fangio said. “It was a much better fit for our edge guys… This year that could change.”

Read between the lines: Fangio likes DeJean. A lot.

Let’s Talk Snap Counts — Because This Ain’t Madden

Here’s where context matters. The Eagles were in nickel 80.5% of the time last season. That means DeJean, who is by far the best option to play the slot, is going to stay there. Mukuba played some slot in college, but Fangio said he’s focused on learning safety right now. Translation? He’s not ready.

Gear up in the TLL Shop

The drop-off from DeJean to whoever else you plug in at nickel is massive. So let’s not act like this potential safety role is some permanent switch or a sign of a new era. It’s Fangio looking at his roster and doing what good coordinators do: maximizing talent.

Cooper DeJean Is a Freak — and That’s Why This Conversation Exists

Let’s not forget who we’re talking about. Cooper DeJean scored more touchdowns last season than he allowed in coverage. Think about that for a second. One touchdown scored, zero allowed. Freak stuff.

“I think he would play very well at safety,” Fangio added. “I think it suits his skill set, things that he does well. I just think he would do very well in there.”

Of course he would. DeJean could probably line up at linebacker and still make plays. But let’s not twist this into something it’s not. He’s not becoming a full-time safety. This isn’t a sign of panic. This is Fangio cooking up different ways to make life hell for opposing offenses.

Whether it’s safety, corner, nickel, or hell, even special teams, Cooper DeJean is going to be on the field. The only question is where and how often. So, I guess to a certain extent, CJGJ was actually wrong when he was singing “Cooper DeJean is not a safety.”

Although it feels very limiting to label Coop to a certain position. The guy is just a total stud in the secondary. And we are very happy to have him here in Philadelphia. I honestly can’t wait to see the jump he makes in year two alongside Quinyon Mitchell.

Join The Chase