This season, the Philadelphia Eagles placed a high priority on second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean. However, two foot injuries derailed the plan, and Dean played the position with a makeshift mindset for the majority of the campaign.
The Eagles’ defense broke down en route to a first-round 32-9 playoff loss at Tampa Bay, with 13 missed tackles. Veterans Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham were useful at times, and names like Christian Elliss, Shaq Leonard, and Ben VanSumeren had to tag in at times.
It almost seemed as though Morrow, Cunningham, and Leonard had never been at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday, clean out their lockers and looking forward to their next NFL destinations. While Elliss was long ago lost to waivers and New England when General Manager Howie Roseman attempted to play some roster games with the young special teams star, Leonard may even decide to retire.
Dean, on the other hand, was in the spotlight, still wearing a walking boot following Lisfranc injury surgery.
Dean said, “It was frustrating,” following an impressive 10-1 start to a season that ended in defeat with just five games played. “Yet it was annoying for all of us. The situation was annoying for the team, the players, and the supporters.” The mental aspect and “accepting” things after the second injury required surgery and six weeks of using a Roll-A-Bout scooter posed the largest challenge for Dean.
“Having never skipped a practice or a game during my time in college. I didn’t get hurt, skip practice, or miss a game even last year. It was challenging to miss more than half the season, Dean said. “The pouting phase was brief. It was like, “Okay, what have I got to do to improve myself?” to correct myself?”
Having been selected in the third round out of Georgia for his rookie season in 2022, Dean had essentially redshirted, so there was never a chance to truly assess what kind of player he was developing into. The Eagles took a chance on Dean and let free agents Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards walk with little resistance. With only 182 snaps to evaluate, the outcome demonstrated that Dean possesses the innate ability to be a reliable run-support player with limited coverage experience.
Pro Football Focus had Dean defending the run with excellent grades in four of his five appearances; the only exception was a subpar showing against Miami in Week 7, which was, ironically, arguably the best defensive game Philadelphia had played all season. With subpar performances in Week 1 against New England, Week 8 against Washington, and Week 9 against Dallas—when he was lost for the season—the coverage grades were lower.
In his 182 reps, Dean was credited with no missed tackles and went 5-for-5 in positive marks as a tackler, which is where he really could have made an impact. With 15 missed tackles in 787 reps, Cunningham led the team, followed by Morrow with 898.
Dean said, “They know who I am,” in reference to the Eagles. “If they don’t then I’ll help [prove it] this season.”
Dean stated that he doesn’t even need his walking boot at the moment and that he will lose it in two weeks, but the Eagles are being cautious. He intends to remain in the region to complete his rehabilitation and, most likely, set the precedent for returning to lead the defense on the field.
“I don’t need the boot [right now] but the protocol is you need the boot for 12 weeks so I still got two more weeks in the boot and yeah, we are just working day in and day out,” Dean stated.” I will be in Philadelphia the entire time. via OTAs and other means. I’m not going to disappear. Here, I’m receiving treatment.”
The ultimate objective is to demonstrate that Dean’s future with the Eagles was put on hold during the 2023 season and did not end.
“Whatever happens, I’m gonna be ready to work,” Dean stated. “My only concern is what’s best for this team. It’s what I want to see, and I think the best players will participate. I’m going to put in the effort to be my best self.”