The Philadelphia Eagles‘ star cornerback Cooper DeJean is eager to go toe-to-toe with his former star teammate, AJ Brown.
On Saturday, July 18, DeJean made his feelings clear on the matter during a live version of his podcast alongside Reed Blankenship at Fanatics Fest in New York City.
“I would love to go against him,” DeJean said, according to Anthony DiBona. “I know he’d love to go against us too, so it’d be a fun battle.”
Eagles Star Cooper DeJean Makes Feelings Clear On Facing AJ Brown
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 03: Cooper DeJean #33and C.J. Gardner-Johnson #8 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrate after a fourth down stop in the second quarter of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field on November 03, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Fortunately for DeJean, he won’t have to wait long.
Earlier this month, the New England Patriots announced that they will host the Eagles for two days of joint practices. The sessions will be held on August 19 and August 20.
Then on Saturday, August 22, the Eagles and the Patriots will battle it out for a preseason game. That will be the only meeting between the Eagles and the Patriots in a game setting this year, unless they meet in the Super Bowl.
While the preseason game likely won’t include much from a DeJean-Brown battle standpoint, the joint practices will surely give the two stars an opportunity to go to work against each other.
It will be just like old times.
AJ Brown vs Cooper DeJean
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 12: Quinyon Mitchell #27 celebrates with Cooper DeJean #33 of the Philadelphia Eagles after intercepting a pass to seal the game in the fourth quarter during the NFC Wild Card Playoff at Lincoln Financial Field on January 12, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)n Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Last year, DeJean was heading into his second NFL season.
During training camp, the two-time All-Pro wideout AJ Brown told reporters that he had a goal of helping DeJean earn All-Pro status for himself during the 2026 NFL season. That was the start of heated battles between the two standouts.
Fortunately for DeJean, he reached that goal in 2025. Not only was he named a Pro Bowler, but the second-year corner was hit with First-team All-Pro honors. It was just another impressive addition to DeJean’s resume.
Cooper DeJean’s NFL Career
GettyINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 08: Cooper Dejean #33 and Marcus Epps #39 of the Philadelphia Eagles react during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on December 08, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
In 2024, DeJean was selected 40th overall by the Eagles in the second round of the NFL Draft. He was coming out of Iowa.
After three seasons at Iowa, DeJean had racked up 120 tackles and seven interceptions. It didn’t take long for him to garner an important role on the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning defense as a rookie.
During the 2024 NFL season, DeJean started in nine out of 16 games. He racked up 51 tackles, with three going for a loss. DeJean had six pass deflections throughout the year, and three fumble recoveries.
While DeJean didn’t have any interceptions during the regular season, he picked one up in the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2025, DeJean started all 16 games for the Eagles. He had 93 tackles, with four going for a loss. DeJean also had 16 pass deflections and two interceptions.