The Philadelphia Eagles' defense has plenty of studs, but Cooper DeJean didn't hesitate to reveal who the best athlete is.
Cooper DeJean is part of a talented Philadelphia Eagles defense that has elite athletes everywhere you look.
DeJean was asked by Kevin Clark of This Is Football who the best athlete on the Eagles defense is and the Pro Bowler went with Jalen Carter.
"He's a freak," DeJean said about Carter. "For his size and the way he moves, also can play basketball too. I've seen him do a lot of crazy things on the football field. Running around dunking. We got basketball hoops in our facility. He's running around dunking the ball. I've seen him do a lot of crazy things.
"Him running routes, catching the ball. I mean, for a guy his size, it's pretty crazy."
Carter is listed at 6-3, 314 pounds. He made his second consecutive Pro Bowl in 2025. The talented DT put up three sacks, 21 solo tackles, five tackles for loss and 12 QB hits.
The Eagles selected Carter with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia. In 43 games with Philadelphia, Carter has racked up 13.5 sacks, 66 solo tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 37 QB hits. He helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Philadelphia took a step back during the 2025 season. Although the Birds won the NFC East again, they lost in the wild-card round of the 2026 playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers at home.
With Carter and DeJean leading the way, Philadelphia's defense finished fifth in the NFL in scoring defense this season, giving up only 19.1 points per game. The Eagles' 56.8% completion percentage allowed led the league, while their 75.4 passer rating ranked second.
Quinyon Mitchell and DeJean earned first-team All-Pro honors as two of the best defensive backs in the NFL.
The good news for the Eagles is that DC Vic Fangio will not be retiring from the NFL. Fangio is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. If he had left the Eagles, that would have been a tremendous loss for the organization.
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