Eagles defender gets Christmas Eve surprise honor from the NFL

One of the biggest reasons for the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles' collapse and losing six of their last seven games, was the embarrassing performance of the defense.

The 2023 Eagles defense was statistically the worst that Philadelphia had on the field since the 2015 NFL season. Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Howie Roseman made it a priority to upgrade Philadelphia's defense and build more roster depth on that side of the ball.

As a result, the Eagles have selected 10 defensive players in the last two years of the NFL Draft, and five of those players have become regular contributors for Philadelphia under the guidance of Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio.

This Eagles Defensive Player Receives Unexpected Christmas Gift

On Christmas Eve, one of Philadelphia's best defensive players was awarded a Player of the Week Award from the NFL.

In NFL Week 16, Cooper DeJean became on the second player in the NFL this season to have at least four tackles, four passes defensed, and an interception in a game. The 22-year-old Defensive Back has been one of the Eagles most important players on defense, and is considered one of the best Nickel Corners in the NFL.

DeJean is the third Eagles defensive player to be honored by the NFL with a Player of the Week award this season. Defensive Tackle Jordan Davis won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award twice this season (Weeks 3 and 11), while Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell received the honor for NFL Week 4.

Cooper DeJean is the fourth player from the University of Iowa to be honored as Defensive Player of the Year:

*Merton Hanks: four-time winner with San Francisco 49ers
*Bob Sanders: Week 2, 2007 with Indianapolis Colts
*Desmond King: two-time winner with Los Angeles Chargers

The combination of his high-level of play along with his public visibility has made DeJean one of the most popular young players in Philadelphia Sports, and he was voted a Pro Bowler for the first time in his NFL career this season. He is also one of the best players 25-year-old or younger in Philly Professional Sports:

The Best Philly Athletes Age 25 or Younger

Philadelphia has some great young athletes right now, from All-Star Tyrese Maxey to two first-round draft picks on the Eagles Defensive Line (Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter). In honor of the Philly Sports Youth Movement, here is my ranking of the Top Ten Philadelphia Professional Athletes who are 25 years old or younger:

Gallery Credit: Josh Hennig/Townsquare Media