What does Cooper DeJean think of his new nickname from A.J. Brown?

What does Cooper DeJean think of his new nickname from A.J. Brown? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It started in OTAs. That was when A.J. Brown began calling second-year defensive back Cooper DeJean All-Pro Coop" or APC" if he abbreviates it.

DeJean, 22, had a good rookie season for a second-round pick and he capped it with a pick-6 in Super Bowl LIX.

But All-Pro Coop?

I thought he was crazy," DeJean said after the Eagles' second training camp practice of 2025. I thought he was crazy. But when he explained it to me, he's trying to speak it into existence for me. That gives me something to work towards and try to prove every single day when I come out here."

The Eagles were ecstatic last April when they were able to move up in the second round to draft DeJean with the No. 40 overall pick out of Iowa. A hamstring injury delayed DeJean's first training camp and put him behind last summer. But when the Eagles came back from their Week 5 bye week in 2024 with a 2-2 record, DeJean was inserted into the lineup as the starting nickel corner and the Eagles' defense took off.

Under Vic Fangio, the Eagles had the No. 1 overall defense and the No. 1 passing defense in the entire NFL en route to a dominant performance against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. And DeJean was a major part of all of it.

So maybe it's not too crazy to start thinking about the ceiling for DeJean, even if All-Pro feels like a lofty goal.

It gives me something to strive and to work for," DeJean said. We had talked about that during OTAs. [Brown is] going to be one that pushes me every single day to make sure that I'm playing at a high level, no matter the day, to work towards that. Which is pretty cool coming from a guy who's been All-Pro multiple times."

Brown, 28, has been named to the AP All-Pro second team in all three of his seasons in Philly and has been rewriting the franchise record book since Howie Roseman traded for him during the 2022 draft. In three seasons with the Eagles, Brown already has 261 catches for 4,031 yards and 25 touchdowns.

If Brown isn't the best receiver in the NFL, he's damn close.

But he's also a leader who was voted a captain before the 2024 season. Brown on Wednesday said he thinks it's part of his responsibility (and of the other receivers) to get the Eagles' cornerbacks ready. He wants to do that with APC.

Because this is going to be a year for him," Brown said. I'm not trying to put pressure on him but I tell him all the time, I'm going to make you All-Pro' and that starts in camp each and every day."

Brown probably gets more 1-on-1 battles with outside cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who was the Eagles' first-round pick last year. Mitchell and Brown competed against each other last training camp and will do so again this season.

There aren't as many opportunities for Brown and DeJean to battle on the field but they still enjoy when those situations arise. One happened during an early drill on Thursday's practice. And they even compete in the weight room whenever they get the chance.

It's obviously a lofty goal for a second-year player to be thinking about All-Pro but at least DeJean won't be a part-time player in Year 2. After playing just the nickel corner position as a rookie, DeJean is going to play in the Eagles' base package - going from around 85% of their snaps to 100% - as either an outside cornerback or a safety.

On Thursday, DeJean lined up as a safety in the Eagles' base package before sliding down to nickel in sub packages.

It's a different perspective back there," DeJean said about playing safety. I'm still kind of getting used to being back there and playing that position. There's some differences, some similarities with nickel and safety. But right now, I'm still learning the position and trying to get comfortable back there."

While DeJean played exclusively at nickel corner on defense last season, he is the only player on the Eagles' roster listed as a defensive back," which is an obvious nod to his versatility. Because of that versatility, DeJean said he began learning all three positions from the moment the Eagles drafted him.

The only difference now is that he's actually being asked to line up and play at those other spots. So his learning curve these days is more about the on-field technique it takes to play away from his primary spot.

So far, so good.

That goes for the early exploration of his secondary (see what I did there?) positions and ditto for his young career. The future looks bright for DeJean and Brown is trying to make sure he lives up to his potential.

It's cool to have a guy like that who's played at a high level for a long time want to push a young guy like me and Q," DeJean said. It's pretty cool."