Eagles’ second-year defenders are not resting on their laurels: ‘Everyone expects that same thing again’

Philly fans can have short memories. Cooper DeJean is prepared for it.

“Everybody in the city loves Eagles football, and you can tell that, especially after you win a championship, but going into next season, everyone expects that same thing again,” DeJean said after Wednesday’s open session of organized team activities.

“You’ve got to find a way to put that behind you and get back to work and try to do it all over again. Once that next season comes around and that first game hits, I don’t think anybody’s going to be remembering what we did last season in that Super Bowl.”

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DeJean’s pick-six just before halftime of Super Bowl LIX was the highlight of all highlights, but as a second-year player, he’s still looking to take the next step as one of the centerpieces of the Eagles’ secondary, alongside Quinyon Mitchell.

Expectations are sky-high. Opposing receivers like Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb already are taking aim at quieting the noise around Mitchell after a stellar rookie season.

With Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson on other rosters, Mitchell and DeJean, who were defensive rookie of the year finalists, are stepping into new roles. Mitchell is taking reps on both sides of the field, and DeJean is taking reps at outside corner, after playing almost exclusively in the slot during his rookie year.

Mitchell is caught between being the rookie asking questions and now fielding them as one of the group’s longer-tenured Eagles. But with just a year under his belt, he knows he has a lot left to learn.

“After the season, I just watched the tape with my cornerbacks coach [Christian Parker], and looking at it, I’ve got a lot to grow,” Mitchell said. “I’ve got a lot to work on. It’s just a race to get better each and every day.”

Another second-year player looking to take the next step is Jalyx Hunt, who, after the departures of Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat, could take on a larger role on the defensive line as an edge rusher. Three seasons ago, Hunt was playing safety at Cornell — his rookie NFL season was just his third as an edge rusher. In the Super Bowl, Hunt showed why Howie Roseman took a chance on him in the third round and made his presence felt with five pressures and a half-sack.

Now that Hunt has a year in the NFL under his belt, he feels “way more comfortable.” He’s starting to show a “little bit more personality” on the field, and developing his identity as a pass rusher. Hunt says he knows more of what to expect from offensive tackles and is approaching his game in a “more professional way.”

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He spent the offseason working on his technique as he tries to elevate his game.

“I want to be a lot more technical because that’s the biggest difference that I’ve seen, is that players who are elite are good with their technicality,” Hunt said. “I want to be great at this position in this league, so that’s what I’ve really been focused on, and that’s what I think has really changed between last year and this year.”