The Eagles secured a win on Sunday to advance to the divisional spherical of the postseason. They could very properly be with no key starter on protection, nevertheless.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean exited the competition with a knee damage. Shortly after being carted off the sector, the 24-year-old was dominated out for the rest of the sport, and he could not have the ability to swimsuit up once more this 12 months. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report Dean is feared to have suffered a “vital” knee ailment which can hold him sidelined for the rest of the postseason.
An MRI is scheduled for Monday, and it’ll provide a clearer outlook for Dean. Supplied the previous third-rounder is confirmed to be out of the lineup the remainder of the way in which, although, his absence might be acutely felt by the Eagles. Dean managed a a lot more healthy marketing campaign in 2024 than he did final 12 months (when he was restricted to solely 5 video games), and he took full benefit of his full-time beginning position. His 128 tackles have been a profession excessive, and so they positioned him second on the crew. With three sacks, Dean additionally chipped in as a blitzer throughout his breakout marketing campaign.
Accidents have been a purple flag popping out of the draft for the Georgia product, though he was capable of put collectively a full season throughout his rookie marketing campaign. He performed all-but completely on particular groups that 12 months, however his snap share elevated in 2023 earlier than climbing to 92% in 2024. Earlier than exiting the competition, Dean recorded six stops, together with a pair of tackles for loss.
He and first-team All-Professional Zack Baun fashioned one of many league’s prime LB tandems over the course of the season, but when Dean stays unavailable the remainder of the way in which Philadelphia’s protection might be notably shorthanded. Oren Burks (who primarily handles particular groups duties) crammed in after Dean was injured. Burks logged a pair of begins through the finish of the common season, and he’ll doubtless be counted on to do the identical subsequent week when the Eagles host the winner of Monday’s Vikings-Rams matchup.
