During the buildup to Super Bowl LIX, much of the discussion revolved around how the Eagles’ defense would contain Patrick Mahomes. Many expected an aggressive, all-out blitz strategy to neutralize the league’s top quarterback. However, Nick Sirianni’s secondary defied expectations, opting for a zero-blitz approach—and it paid off.
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Unsurprisingly, the NFL world is still applauding Cooper DeJean & Co. for their innovative tactic, which, per the Eagles CB, was a well-rehearsed move.
In his latest appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, the 22-year-old cornerback revealed that deploying zonal coverage against Mahomes was a strategic decision from the start. With dominant forces like Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat anchoring the defensive line, the Eagles trusted their front four to disrupt the Chiefs’ offensive line without needing extra rushers.
The Eagles stuck to their plan, relentlessly deploying four-man rushes against the Chiefs’ talisman. The result? They pressured Patrick Mahomes on 42.9% of his dropbacks, with six sacks and two INTs further proving its effectiveness.
“That’s the way we practiced all week—just playing our coverage the way we have all year. Obviously, we’ve blitzed a little this season, but we work really well together in the secondary. The way we play zone coverage and match routes makes things easier on the back end, especially when we have a defensive line that can generate pressure without needing to blitz the quarterback,” DeJean said.
That said, as good as the Eagles D-line was, it was DeJean who stole the show with his incredible performance, topped by a pick-six.
DeJean opens up about his responsibilities in the Eagles’ defense
The rookie corner couldn’t have asked for a better start to his career. Not only did he win a Super Bowl, but he also snagged a rare pick-six off Mahomes. While many will celebrate the moment for its shock value, DeJean hinted that his pick-six was as much luck as it was executing his role well.
Opening up about his role in the defense, DeJean highlighted that his primary job was to disrupt Mahomes’ timing and tighten the zones. One look back at DeJean’s pick-six, and it’s evident how he helped set up the play by contributing to the coverage.
This amped up the pressure on Mahomes, leading to an uncharacteristically poor throw—straight into DeJean’s hands—who took it home with ease.
“My role was to disrupt timing, pack the zones, and create challenges for the quarterback. I also aimed to slow down the receivers at the line of scrimmage, giving our defensive line as much time as possible to get to the quarterback. By tightening up coverage and switching the picture on the quarterback, and make him have to play QB.”
Being the 40th overall pick in the draft last year, not many expected Cooper DeJean to have the impact he has had this season. Philly definitely saw him as a special player—and rightly so. Posting 85 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and seven interceptions in three seasons at Iowa is no joke.
How DeJean fell this far in the draft is baffling, passed over by all 31 other teams. But that’s what championship teams do—they make moves others overlook.
