The Bengals were down and going for it on fourth down late into the third quarter, so the strong likelihood was that they were going to put the ball in the hands of their best player.
And Cooper DeJean knew it.
The Eagles’ defense broke the huddle into man coverage. Ja’Marr Chase was the rookie cornerback’s assignment, and once Cincinnati lined up, the star receiver started shifting in motion around the offensive backfield.
At a pivotal point in what went on to be Sunday’s 37-17 Eagles win, that was DeJean’s cue.
“He was my man the whole time,” DeJean said from the visiting locker room postgame. “But once he went in motion and came back and then went back again, I kinda had a feeling they were trying to create some traffic for me to try to work through so I couldn’t get there.”
But on the snap, DeJean was already storming around the corner and barreling down toward the line of scrimmage.
He committed on the bet that the Bengals were going to Chase and had it right.
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow turned and tossed a screen to his No. 1 receiver behind the line, needing just a yard for the first, but DeJean was already there to wrap Chase up and take him down as soon as the ball arrived.
The Bengals were short and out of downs. The Eagles took the ball back and flipped that into a field goal to take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, and the rest snowballed into 5-2 from there, all while the second-round rookie defensive back continued to impress.
“He’s one of those rookies, man, that him and [Quinyon Mitchell], like, you don’t even think he’s a rookie,” third-year safety Reed Blankenship said. “He’s just out there playing, having fun, and communicating.”
And so far, the Eagles’ secondary has been much stronger for it.
DeJean made his first start as the slot corner two weeks ago against Cleveland and did well in coverage on a day when the Eagles’ defense didn’t allow a single touchdown. That kept up for the next game at the Meadowlands, when the Eagles completely dismantled the floundering Giants, with DeJean grading out as one of the top cornerbacks in football for that week, per Pro Football Focus.
Then, against a team that was clinging on to its contending hopes in the Bengals and against one of the best receivers in the game, DeJean had his number called in a crucial spot and delivered without hesitation – like the 21-year old had already been there for years.
“It’s that confidence that you get,” Blankenship said of having DeJean so poised within the defense so soon, along with Mitchell, who has also been a boon for the Eagles’ secondary.
“I guess when you have rookies come in and start, you’re kind of iffy about it,” Blankenship continued. “But man, I ain’t ever lost confidence in either one of them.”
So far, there’s been no reason to.
“At the end, it’s about me doing my job,” DeJean said. “Making that tackle and stopping him.”
And on Sunday in Cincinnati, he made arguably his biggest one yet.
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