Something unusual happened in the Eagles’ 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night: Cooper DeJean got picked apart.
For a player who has built his reputation on shutting down slot receivers, helping in run support and generally making life miserable for offenses, DeJean was the rare Eagles defender who looked vulnerable. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels kept finding him, and the Commanders made the most of it.
DeJean didn’t sugarcoat it afterward.
“Yeah, wasn’t good enough, obviously,” DeJean told reporters after the Eagles’ Week 1 victory. “I just got to be better. That simple.”
Stefon Diggs did most of the damage. He beat DeJean for 15 yards on Washington’s first touchdown drive late in the second quarter, then got him again for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:04 left in the fourth.
Diggs’ celebration ended up helping Philadelphia, though - he jumped on the goal post, which wiped out Washington’s 2-point conversion try. The Commanders settled for the extra point and were down 17-16.
DeJean’s night kept getting messier. He was flagged for illegal contact on Diggs in the third quarter, giving Washington an automatic first down and a shot in scoring range.
Drew Stevens missed a 54-yard field goal, which spared the Eagles there. DeJean also drew illegal contact on the opening drive, and that possession ended with a Washington field goal.
Diggs wasn’t done. On the Commanders’ final possession, he beat DeJean for 17 yards and helped set up another touchdown drive.
Moro Ojomo stopped Washington on a goal-line 2-point try, and Philadelphia survived. But DeJean’s struggles absolutely kept the game alive.
Washington found more openings against him, too. In the third quarter, rookie receiver Antonio Williams got inside DeJean for a 16-yard gain to the Eagles’ 1-yard line. Jacory Croskey-Merritt scored on the next snap from a yard out.
DeJean said the fix starts with the film.
“I’ll have to watch the tape,” DeJean said about what went wrong. “See what happened there.
See what I can fix in my technique. Just sometimes my eyes get bad and that gets me in trouble.
So just got to be better with that. Good thing is, I mean, it’s week one, so got a lot of games ahead of us, and I got to continue to get better for our defense.”
The Eagles have reason to keep this in perspective. DeJean has been beaten before, and he has answered.
Last season, he had a rough game on the outside against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, when George Pickens went for 52 yards against him - the most DeJean has allowed to one player in a game - and CeeDee Lamb also hit him for a 48-yard catch. DeJean responded well after that and finished the year strong on the way to first-team All-Pro honors.
There was another rough stretch two years ago, when he was still a rookie and Adam Thielen racked up 9 catches for 102 yards, with many of those plays coming against DeJean. He came back from that, too, and later had a pick six in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
That’s why one bad night won’t define him. But Philadelphia will need a cleaner one next week against the Tennessee Titans. DeJean has not had back-to-back bad performances in the NFL, and that streak will matter now.
“Just watch the tape and learn from it,” DeJean said about how he will learn from his rough performance against the Commanders. “Just like you do every week.
Not going to change the approach based on good or bad game. It’s the same each and every week.
See what you can get better at and improve and move on.”
In Other News...
Phillies Have A Shortstop Squeeze That Could Reshape Their Infield
The Phillies have quietly built something unusual in their system: a real shortstop traffic jam. Aidan Miller is back on track after returning from back surgery in 2026 and could keep his development rolling in the Arizona Fall League, while Bryan Rincon has put together a breakout year at Double-A and strengthened his case as one of the organizations better infield prospects because of his glove.
There is depth behind them, too, with Juan Villavicencio adding another layer to the picture after showing solid plate discipline in the lower minors. For a club that always has to think about how its next wave fits into a big-league infield, this kind of concentration at one premium position is both a luxury and a puzzle, and it could eventually force some tough decisions about who stays at short and who moves elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Bryan Rincon Is Forcing A Phillies Future Fans Didn't Expect
Bryan Rincons climb this season has turned him into one of the more interesting names in the Phillies system, and not just because of the glove that originally defined him. The 22-year-old has taken a clear step forward at Double-A, pairing improved offense with the kind of all-around value that gets organizational eyes to linger a little longer, especially for a player who entered pro ball as a 14th-round pick in 2022 and was mostly known for his defense.
The bat is now loud enough to matter, with Rincon putting together a .267/.410/.517 line and adding impact in more ways than one. MLB Pipelines decision to push him onto its top-100 list reflects how far his profile has come, but it also leaves the bigger question hanging for the Phillies: if the defense was always there and the hitting is arriving faster than expected, how soon does a player like this start forcing his way into a much more meaningful conversation? [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Got Strong Outside Validation As Real World Series Threats
An anonymous American League executive took a fresh look at the Phillies and came away convinced this is still a club built to matter in October and beyond. The case starts with the pitching, which has long been Philadelphias clearest calling card, and it extends to a core that includes Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo on the mound, with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber still giving the lineup the kind of veteran punch that changes a series.
Even with some inconsistency during the season, the broader view around the league is that the Phillies have enough high-end talent to stay in the World Series conversation. The executive even suggested that if Philadelphia ends up in the postseason as a Wild Card team, the staff alone could make that path far less daunting than it looks on paper, which is the kind of outside validation contenders tend to notice. [Read more 🡒]