Analyst Predicts Major Secondary Changes for Eagles
Analyst Predicts Major Secondary Changes for Eagles originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles had one of the best secondaries in the league. Veteran leaders like Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson mixed perfectly with young stars like Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.
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But Gardner-Johnson and Slay are gone this season. Replacing both will be no easy task for Philadelphia's defense.
While nothing will be final during off-season workouts, the Eagles have tried different combinations during practices to see what could work for them during the 2025 campaign.
And their testing has left The Athletic's Brooks Kubena with a "key observation" about the Eagles' defense.
"Cooper DeJean and Drew Mukuba may both have flexible roles in a secondary undergoing yet another significant turnover in personnel," Kubena said. "Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is still deploying DeJean at nickel but moving him to outside cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell in base packages.
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"Mukuba, the No. 64 pick, has been taking first-team snaps at safety — noteworthy in his battle with Sydney Brown — but he's also playing slot with DeJean in dime packages."
DeJean was the top-ranked slot cornerback in the league last season. To move him to the outside is a tremendous gamble for any coaching staff.
But there's a good reason for it.
Philadelphia rarely played in base personnel on defense (two cornerbacks and three linebackers). In the modern NFL, most teams prefer to have three receivers on the field at all times anyway, and that forces teams to run in nickel coverage (three cornerbacks and two linebackers).
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DeJean is seen as a Swiss Army Knife on the Eagles' defense. He can cover inside extremely well and has the range to be an excellent safety. That allows a defensive coach like Vic Fangio to deploy the Iowa product differently. It makes sense to keep him on the field as much as possible.
It also means Mukuba could be seen as a potential backup should something happen to the second-year corner.
It's not the first time an Eagles safety has gotten work in the slot. Malcolm Jenkins, a hero on Philadelphia's first title team in 2017, was a Pro Bowl player for six seasons while playing at safety and the slot.
While it is too early to say Mukuba will be the next Jenkins, it is clear that the Eagles want to test any combination in their secondary to maintain their standing as an elite defensive group in 2025.
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Early returns show that they believe both DeJean and Mukuba will be essential parts of that happening.
Related: 'Overlooked' Rookie Poised As Next Late-Round Gem in Eagles Roster Pipeline
Related: Eagles All-Pro Sounds Off On 'Evolution' of Nick Sirianni
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
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