The Eagles advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs, but they’ll be without one of their defensive leaders. Linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a knee injury on Sunday that is now feared to be a significant. Early reports suggest Dean will miss the rest of the postseason, and could possibly even miss the beginning of the 2025 regular season.
#Eagles LB Nakobe Dean, at the tail end of a breakout season, suffered torn patellar tendon in his knee and is out for the playoffs, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
A tough blow for Philly and for Dean, who has a long road to recovery. He’ll likely miss the start of next season. pic.twitter.com/xtNdv5ttEQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2025
Dean’s teammates were heartbroken for the LB following their win over the Packers. Nolan Smith talked about how tough it was to see his brother go through that, especially as they were just celebrating playing together in a playoff game, just like they did in college.
With Dean sidelined, Zack Baun will wear the green dot helmet, and handle the communication and leadership role. The Eagles don’t have a ton of depth at the linebacker position, with Oren Burks and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. as the next men up.
Dean has put in so much work during his NFL career to get and stay healthy, and it’s a shame that his breakout season had to end early.
