NEW ORLEANS — The Philadelphia Eagles started the 2024 season just 2-2, dropping games against the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to their Week 5 bye. In that second loss, their defense was torn asunder by the Bucs, who ripped off 445 total yards, 29 first downs and 33 points in a multi-score victory.
It was then, according to star cornerback Darius Slay, that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio sat his group down together and turned their season around.
“It really clicked for a lot of guys when he sat us down as a great and said, ‘Hey, we gotta be better. Come back from the bye week and get ready to be dialed in because we’ve got to go on a run,'” Slay said. “He came in with all the corrections and everything, and said if we just buy in, we can see what it does.”
After that bye week, the Eagles did not allow more than 23 points again until Week 16. They held nine of their 13 opponents below 20 points, and 10 of them below 300 total yards. Their pass defense, in particular, took off. They spiked from 25th in the NFL in EPA per play allowed through Week 4, according to Tru Media, to first from Week 6 through the end of the regular season.
It’s probably not a coincidence that said spike occurred after rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean entered the starting lineup as the team’s slot cornerback.
DeJean played just eight defensive snaps prior to the bye week, then played at least two-thirds of the team’s snaps in every game the rest of the season. He finished the year allowing only 329 receiving yards and zero touchdowns out of the slot, according to Pro Football Focus, checking in ninth among the 42 corners who played at least 100 slot snaps in yards allowed per coverage snap.
He and fellow rookie Quinyon Mitchell, who manned the outside cornerback slot across from Slay, were among the best defensive backs in the entire league — and not just among rookies. Mitchell finished the season allowing a target only once every 8.3 coverage snaps, per PFF, which ranked 16th out of 127 qualifying corners, as did his 14.3 snaps per reception allowed. His nine pass breakups ranked 11th among that same group of players.
So, it’s no surprise that DeJean and Mitchell are each finalists for the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award. It’s especially not a surprise to Slay, who has been sharing the field with them the entire season.
“They’re great guys, man, Coop and Quinyon,” Slay said of the rookies. “They’re detailed. They pay attention. They listen. They learn. It’s hard to get rookies to understand this game at a high level. It’s amazing. I’m not surprised that they’re both up for Defensive Rookie of the Year. It’s gonna be a special group. I told people that this Eagles secondary is gonna have two great young corners for a long, long time.”
The rookies themselves appreciate having been able to learn from Slay throughout their first season in the NFL.
“It’s been amazing. I’ve been enjoying every second of it. Getting to learn how to be an NFL player and learn everything else he knows,” DeJean said. “He taught me quite a bit. Early in the season, different techniques, covering guys in the slot.”
Slay, a former slot corner who has moved to the perimeter in the latter half of his career, had another terrific year in coverage himself. He allowed only a 78.3 passer rating on throws in his direction, per PFF, which ranked 21st out of those aforementioned 127 qualifiers.
“As Slay gets older, he just gets better,” Mitchell said. “He’s having a great year, and I appreciate him.”
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Author: Jared Dubin
February 4, 2025 | 3:50 pm
