The Eagles are running out of patience, and Cooper DeJean’s next contract talk is looking a lot less automatic than it did a few months ago.
Philadelphia’s 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football kept a miserable slide going in Week 7, as the Eagles dropped their fifth straight game. With the offense battered by injuries and unable to carry the load, the defense had to hold up its end. Instead, DeJean’s problems in coverage showed up again.
Dak Prescott made DeJean pay in the loss, going 3-of-4 for 53 yards when throwing his way, including a nine-yard touchdown to CeeDee Lamb. Prescott finished with a 156.3 passer rating when targeting DeJean.
That outing fit the bigger picture for DeJean this season. He has allowed a 102.7 rating when targeted, a sharp drop from the 79 passer rating he gave up in his first two years.
Next Gen Stats says DeJean has surrendered 25 catches on 41 targets for 270 receiving yards and four touchdowns. His catch rate allowed over expected is -7.9 percent, he’s forcing tight-window throws 14.6 percent of the time, both career lows, and he’s also giving up four yards of separation.
Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, DeJean allowed 93 completions on 145 targets for 924 yards and one touchdown. With 10 games still left, there’s a real chance he ends this season with more yards and touchdowns allowed than in any other year of his career.
The trouble hasn’t stopped at coverage. DeJean has also struggled as a tackler, missing 12 tackles and posting a 36.9 tackling grade from PFF.
That’s a jarring turn for a player who was viewed as one of the league’s top slot corners and seemed poised for a major payday. Instead, his 2026 tape has cooled that conversation considerably.
And there’s another layer to it: Quinyon Mitchell is also due for an extension. Mitchell has allowed 24 catches on 43 targets for 228 yards with one touchdown and an interception this season. He is forcing a tight-window throw on 20.9 percent of targets and allowing 2.2 yards of separation.
For now, Philadelphia appears more likely to put Mitchell ahead of DeJean when it comes time to spend. The Eagles need more from DeJean, and if he wants the big money that once seemed inevitable, his play has to climb fast.
In Other News...
Eagles Loss Exposed A Defensive Line Problem Fans Will Notice
The snap counts from the Eagles Week 7 loss to the Cowboys offered a clear look at how much the defensive front was asked to carry, and how little splash came from that workload. With injuries still shaping the rotation, Philadelphia leaned heavily on its interior linemen and mixed in some role changes across the defense, while rookies and returning players added to the churn in personnel.
Jalen Carters usage stood out in particular, as he was on the field far more than usual but did not turn that volume into the disruptive night the Eagles needed. Jordan Davis was also pushed into a bigger share of the action, and the numbers pointed to a front line that was busy without being especially effective, which only deepens the concern as the defense tries to sort out who can consistently tilt a game in the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Trade Deadline Reality Just Got Hard To Ignore
A fifth straight loss has pushed Philadelphia into a trade-deadline conversation it probably did not want to be having this early, but it is now impossible to ignore. Around the league, the Eagles are being viewed as possible sellers, with attention turning to players whose contract situations make them easier to move if the front office decides the season has tilted too far in the wrong direction. Moro Ojomo, Riq Woolen, Dallas Goedert and Kelee Ringo have all been floated as names to watch, and the logic is straightforward: if the Eagles are going to retool, expiring deals are the cleanest path to future draft capital.
Hollywood Brown belongs in that same uncomfortable mix, especially after he was a healthy scratch against the Panthers. The sense is that Philadelphia is at least willing to listen on players who may not fit its long-term plan, even if that means entertaining decisions that would have seemed hard to imagine before the losing streak. What happens next will say plenty about how aggressively the Eagles want to protect the present versus cashing in pieces for the future, and that balance may not be easy to strike with the deadline closing in. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Took One Extra Shot At The Eagles After That Win
Dallas left Lincoln Financial Field with more than a win in Week 7, and the postgame mood said plenty about how the Cowboys viewed it. After snapping a two-game losing streak with a 38-21 victory over the Eagles, the visitors carried that momentum back to the locker room and into a celebration that made the rivalry feel even sharper.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer pointed to the teams positive energy after the game, while also stressing the need to keep the focus on Arizona next. For Philadelphia, the result already stung on the field, but the added swipe afterward only gave the loss a little more edge heading into the next round of NFC East business. [Read more 🡒]