Bleeding Green Nation
The Eagles’ defensive coordinator also spoke about position battles, Cooper DeJean’s evolving role, and how Jordan Davis is in the best shape he’s ever been.
The Eagles are still hard at work at OTAs and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has a lot of new guys on the field to start molding. He spoke to reporters on Monday and talked about some of the rookies, some of the position battles, and what role he sees for guys like Jihaad Campbell and Cooper DeJean.
When talking about linebackers, Fangio said Zach Baun can play whatever position is needed and best for the team, partly dependent on who the next man up is, at least until Nakobe Dean is back — but the DC noted twice that Dean, “Won’t be back for awhile.”
Here’s what else Fangio had to say:
“Right now he’s working at ILB, because there’s a lot more to learn there. So that’s where we’ll start him. He won’t hit the practice field until sometime in August. So, we’re doing all we can — he’s doing all he can in meetings, we’re doing all we can with him on the field. I take him to the side and do an individual drill with him, that’s suited for what he can do right now. So, he’s working good and trying to pick it up.”
As for whether Fangio seems any pass rushing upside to Campbell, the DC said, “possibly,” but didn’t elaborate much.
With Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and now Bryce Huff gone, Fangio said he still feels good about the guys they have.
“I feel good about Nolan [Smith]. I think we’ll feel good about Jalyx [Hunt], now that he’s going to get a lot of reps and develop. He played good for us down the stretch last year, and played a lot as you saw. So, I feel good about those two guys and I think they’ll continue to improve.
We’ve got [Joshua] Uche, Azeez [Ojulari], we’ve got three other guys there. I think we’ll be fine.”
“We’d like to keep [DeJean] at nickel, and then in our base package, we’ll find a spot for him — either at corner or safety.”
Fangio went on to explain that DeJean placement will end up largely based on how the other guys around him develop and figuring out where they need most need him. Ultimately, they’ll consider both what is best for DeJean and what is best for the team, but he is capable of playing both corner and safety.
He later talked about how why he thinks DeJean would be so successful at safety, pointing out that the position really suits his skillset.
