Cooper DeJean was the valedictorian of the NFL this season, at least according to Pro Football Focus, receiving an overall grade of 86.3, which was the highest of any cornerback during the past season.
In honor of that, here are the top five plays turned in this season by the rookie, and it’s a list that could have included 10 different plays.
Destructing Dallas. The Eagles were about to lose a lead to the Cowboys in Week 10. Ahead just 7-3 with the second quarter clock winding toward three minutes to go, Zack Baun popped the ball free from Ezekiel Elliott. It bounded into the end zone, where DeJean tracked it down and fell on it. It was one of three fumble recoveries for him during the season.
DeJean wasn’t done. He returned a punt 31 yards early in the third quarter to the Dallas 37. The short field set up a 5-yard TD catch from rookie Johnny Wilson as the Eagles went on to rout Dallas, 34-6.
Fourth and-one. The Bengals trailed just 24-17 with only 41 seconds left in the third quarter and were approaching midfield when they faced fourth-and-one. They chose to go for it. Joe Burrow threw a pass to Ja’Marr Chase a few yards short of the line of scrimmage. It went nowhere, because DeJean diagnosed it immediately and decked Chase for a 2-yard loss. The Eagles scored 13 fourth-quarter points to win comfortably, 37-17.
The tackle. It was a textbook tackle DeJean made on the Ravens 247-pound running back and it came in a big spot. Baltimore was trialing 21-12 midway through the fourth quarter when faced with a third-and-11. Lamar Jackson hit Henry hit in the flat who was immediately met by a hard-charging, 198-pound DeJean who plowed into Henry, shoulder pads in the midsection, head to the outside, and pile-drove him into the ground.
The Ravens went for it on fourth down and did not convert, allowing the Eagles to drain 5:08 off the clock, using 11 plays to get a 35-yard field goal with just 1:03 to play in what would become a 24-19 win.
NFC championship. It was DeJean who made the tackle on the Commanders’ Dyami Brown, but before bringing him to the ground, he held Brown up, allowing Zack Baun to peanut-punch the ball free. At the time, the score was just 7-3 midway through the second quarter. The turnover gave the Eagles good field position they cashed into a 4-yard TD run by Saquon Barkley and just like that it was 14-3 on the way to a 55-23 rout to make Super Bowl LIX.
Super Bowl LIX. Yeah, you knew this was coming at No. 1. One of the top plays of Super Bowl LIX. Maybe of the Eagles’ season, and it was a season filled with them.
You want a storybook finish to a great year from DeJean, it came in the second quarter on the biggest stage in sports and on his 22nd birthday. His first career interception came against the GOAT Patrick Mahomes and he returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 17-0 lead, delivering a mighty shovelful of dirt that all but buried the dynasty that was the Chiefs.
