Coming back from a hamstring injury can always be a tricky thing. Especially for someone who came off a concern in college that has to do with the same general area. This ongoing journey back to full health has been something worth monitoring since an off-season workout in July landed Cooper DeJean on the non-football injury list (NFI). It's expected for him, barring further setbacks, to be able to see the field for the first week of the regular season.
As the initial reports from ESPN's Tim McManus indicated, the severity of this is minimal in the grand scheme of things, and he is certainly not expected to miss the entirety of his rookie year. With all of this in mind, a video from Sunday's practice, shared by Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, showed the former Iowa Hawkeyes player running some individual drills. It shows the cornerback accelerating and testing his agility with resistance. Even though it's only a couple of moments, it shows signs of progress.
Being able to cut back and extend beyond a straightforward sprint shows how he's likely close to being able to participate in further non-contact drills. This is part of the stepping stone in the rehab process. Oftentimes the biggest hurdle is mental. Trusting that a certain part of your body is up to the task or a given maneuver won't reactivate something can be the most difficult part when getting back into game shape. It's possible that if he absolutely needed to, for whatever reason, he could go full out and nothing would happen.
However, the Philadelphia Eagles have expressed the desire to not rush things and to ensure that the 40th overall pick doesn't do anything to unnecessarily hinder what is expected to be a promising career. There are plenty of reasons behind Philly fans being excited about what he can offer.
Lot of promise for Cooper DeJean once healthy
The corner has the potential to not only be an All-Pro at his position on defense one day but to have a large special teams impact. Firstly, there is always a need to have talent on the outside, especially with the influx of offensive talent in the league. Having someone with the skill set and potential of DeJean offers a potentially intriguing look for this Vic Fangio-led unit.
It takes a certain level of toughness and IQ to be able to successfully play in this system, and the rookie has the toolkit to do well at Lincoln Financial Field for years to come. Then there's his promise as a punt returner. As a member of Kirk Ferentz's roster, the storied struggles on one side of the ball became something of a national punching bag. But slight room for hope came in the form of the current-day rookie's promise with the ball in his hands.
His most known return was actually called back for illegal touching was called back. This was a controversial decision then and is still debated to this day. But it showed what can happen when given a chance. Furthermore, it oftentimes was legitimately the best hope that Iowa had to gain yards and get on the scoreboard.
With the Eagles, the offensive limitations aren't going to be nearly that bad. But instead, this is a chance to look at the upside. For him to carry the expectations and production of an entire team, and his success in a gritty conference like the Big Ten can only be encouraging.
It wouldn't be surprising once it gets back to full health if there were even some gadget plays run through him for when Philadelphia needs a critical first down or to provide a spark. Long story short, fans of football eagerly await for Cooper DeJean to be at full health and to compete for the first time as a professional. Without getting too far ahead, it's likely that he will put on a show when that time comes.