Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee and is out for the remainder of the playoffs, a league source confirmed Monday.
Dean was carted off the field in the first half of Philadelphia’s 22-10 win against the Green Bay Packers and was quickly ruled out with the knee injury. He racked up six tackles before leaving Sunday’s game.
His injury is a significant setback with multiple ramifications.
The most immediate: The Eagles will spend the remainder of the playoffs without their mike linebacker, beginning with next Sunday’s divisional-round game against the winner of Monday’s tilt between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings. Dean was having his best season yet under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. He finished the regular season with career highs in tackles (128), tackles for loss (nine), sacks (three), fumble recoveries (two), forced fumbles (one) and interceptions (one). He wore the green dot on his helmet and relayed the play calls to the defense. Fangio often used Dean in simulated pressures — blitzes that often caught their opponents off guard. That Dean injured his knee on a tackle for loss underlines the influence the 2022 third-round pick had on this system.
Dean’s influence went beyond his level of play. He’s one of four Georgia alums in the defense’s starting rotation. He was their soft-spoken leader. Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Jordan Davis lamented yet another injury to their teammate.
And that’s the long-term effect. Dean missed most of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery on a Lisfranc fracture. That injury sidelined Dean for the majority of OTAs. He returned on the second-to-last offseason workout, then spent the summer battling for the starting spot with former free agent signee Devin White.
This time, Dean won’t return so soon. He could miss the start of the 2025 season while recovering, a league source confirmed.
General manager Howie Roseman will be forced to acquire reinforcements. Dean and fifth-round rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are the only off-ball linebackers on the active roster who are under contract beyond this season. Zack Baun’s breakout as a first-team All-Pro will warrant the sort of extension the Eagles have resisted offering linebackers. How much will the Eagles be willing to spend on further depth until Dean returns? Or will they pursue yet another linebacker in the draft? It might be a prudent decision given Dean’s injury history.
Roseman has maintained his belief in Dean. When healthy, Dean has delivered. But the Eagles must now make preparations without him.
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(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
