The Eagles have won four straight, are now 6-2 and are currently ranked No. 6 in the NFC Playoff. The offense is a collection of highlight machines. The defense swarms. Concerns remain for the team, but on another Victory Monday, here’s another column about the Eagles thoughts currently swirling in my head…

Cooper DeJean’s star is rising

Who do you think is the top-rated cornerback nine weeks into the NFL season on Pro Football Focus?

It’s not Marlon Humphrey. It’s not Jalen Ramsey. It’s the Eagles’ rookie second-round pick Cooper DeJean.

Is DeJean the sport’s best lockdown corner? No, of course not, but the numbers support the eye test that DeJean has made an immediate impact since being inserted into the Eagles’ lineup as the go-to slot cornerback — a huge, huge upgrade over veteran Avonte Maddox.

DeJean had multiple drive-killing pass breakups in the Eagles’ 28-23 win over the Jaguars. He has taken 97 coverage snaps this season. DeJean is giving up just 6.1 yards per reception when the ball has gone to his man. Among cornerbacks who have been on the field as much as DeJean, that percentage is third-best in the NFL, per PFF. DeJean has not been disciplined yet this season.

The Eagles’ defense ranks ninth in points, third in total yards and seventh in passing yards. The addition of DeJean and a fellow stud Quinyon Mitchell has transformed the Eagles’ secondary along with new coaches as defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker.

I’ve written this a few times and tried to temper expectations for young players, but with the early returns coming about halfway through their rookie campaigns, the Mitchell-DeJean draft combination feels more and more akin to when the Birds took both. Lito Sheppard And Sheldon Brown back in 2002.

The Eagles finally win the turnover margin

Through the Eagles’ first four games, when they went 2-2, they turned the ball over eight times. Since then, the Birds have jumped out to a 4-0 lead and have committed just one turnover, following a blatant opening foul against the Jaguars. The turnover margin has been reversed for the team:

The Eagles’ turnover differential was +8 when they reached the Super Bowl in 2022, the third-best mark in the NFL. Last season, in the midst of an embarrassing losing streak, it was -10. Luck plays a healthy role when it comes to turnovers, but when guys finish on interceptions and Jalen hurts Playing flawless football himself will do wonders for the Eagles’ ultimate ceiling, whether that’s simply a playoff contender or a true Super Bowl contender.

Could Saquon Barkley win Offensive Player of the Year?

Saquon Barkley is coming off a 189-yard, two-touchdown rushing game in that win over the Jaguars and maybe, just maybe, did the wildest thing I’ve ever seen an Eagles player do:

Barkley has already racked up 925 rushing yards this season and is over 1,000 yards from scrimmage. He has eight touchdowns. His 5.9 yards per carry is the best mark of his career. He’s a superstar. Can he become Offensive Player of the Year for 2024?

To that end, he will compete in Baltimore with fellow all-world running back Derrick Henry. Henry was also a force in his first year in a new location. With Baltimore, Henry leads the league in rushing yards (1,052), yards from scrimmage (1,145) and touchdowns (13).

Any other year, Barkley might have walked away with this, but Henry is putting up incredible numbers. The betting markets say the same thing. On FanDuel Sportsbook, Henry is the favorite for the award at -150 and Barkley is second at +200. It’s also similar on DraftKings Sportsbook, with Henry at -125 and Barkley again at +200.

In the NFL, when things go too fast in one direction, the game sometimes falls back. Now that defenses have finally adapted to a pass-happy league, smart organizations like the Eagles and Ravens have paid running backs handsomely with immediate results that speak for themselves.

MORE: 10 Eagles-Jaguars Awards

Jahan Dotson’s highlight catch should not be forgotten

Barkley had his immediately iconic reverse hurdle against Jacksonville. DeVonta Smith had an incredible one-handed touchdown grab. Nakobe Dean had a quasi-walk-off jumping interception. Jahan Dotson hasn’t produced much or really had the opportunities to do so since arriving in Philadelphia, but he also made a great catch on Sunday:

That means great awareness and great body control.

Maybe that play can build some trust between Hurts and Dotson and expand the WR3 role in the future.

It’s Dallas week. Will the Cowboys start a backup quarterback?

The Cowboys are running at 3-5. Quarterback Dak Prescott left Dallas’ Week 9 loss to the Falcons. Prescott suffered both hamstring and hand injuries. It remains to be seen if he will be ready to go when the Cowboys host the Eagles in Week 10.

During the Prescott era, the Eagles faced Prescott’s backup QB three times, going 2–1 in those games. Prescott’s current backup is Cooper Rush, whom the Eagles defeated in 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Rush, 30, is 5-1 as an NFL starter and has completed 60.0 percent of his passes throughout his career while averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.

The betting markets appear to be preparing for a Dallas backup, as the Eagles are nearly a touchdown favorite on the road at -6.5 against the Cowboys next Sunday (via DraftKings Sportsbook).

MORE: Eagles improve to 6-2 despite stumble in second half in win over Jaguars

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