Barrett Brooks and Dave Zangaro react to Jalen Hurts taking the top spot on our countdown of the most important Eagles for the upcoming season.
The Eagles will be without rookie 2nd-round pick Cooper DeJean for about three weeks – the bulk of training camp – because of a hamstring injury he suffered recently.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and confirmed by a league source familiar with the injury.
According to Fowler, DeJean got hurt when he was “caught in an awkward position during offseason training.”
Fowler wrote on social media, “The Eagles are confident in a quick recovery and that he will be able to contribute as expected this season.”
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Since DeJean was healthy throughout spring practices, the injury occurred while he was working out on his own between OTAs and the start of training camp.
DeJean, the Eagles’ rookie 2nd-round pick from Iowa, was expected to compete for the starting slot in camp. During spring practices he worked mostly in the slot but also a bit at outside corner. The Eagles believe he can also play safety, and he was also expected to be in the mix in the kick return game.
With DeJean out for now, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Eli Ricks, Mario Goodrich and Tyler Hall are among the candidates to work with the first defense at inside corner for now. Maddox is the most experienced and is very good when he can stay on the field, but he’s had trouble staying healthy in recent years.
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McPhearson missed all of last year with a torn Achilles, Ricks played 146 snaps inside in 2023 and did OK, Goodrich struggled when he got a chance early in the year and Hall is a 5th-year veteran who signed with the Eagles in March.
The Eagles are scheduled to begin training camp on Wednesday. If DeJean is out three weeks, he would miss the first two preseason games, in Baltimore Aug. 9 and New England Aug. 15. The third preseason game is Aug. 24 at home vs. the Vikings.
Opening day vs. the Packers in Brazil is Sept. 6, which is about 6 ½ weeks away, so assuming a three-week recovery with no complications, DeJean would have nearly a month to practice before the opener after he returns.
Fowler said DeJean will begin training camp on the Non-Football Injury list, which is for injuries that occur outside an NFL game or team practice.
DeJean will count against the Eagles’ 90-man roster during the preseason. If he’s still on NFI when rosters are cut down to 53 on Aug. 30 - which appears unlikely - he’d have to miss at least four games before the Eagles could activate him.
After ranking 31st in the NFL in pass defense last year, the Eagles drafted Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell in the first round 22nd overall and DeJean in the second round 40th overall.
It was the first time they’ve ever drafted two defensive backs within the first 40 picks.
They’ve also added Isaiah Rodgers, who sat out last year, and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, a starter in the 2022 Super Bowl season, as part of a secondary overhaul.
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