Nick Sirianni reveals what Eagles will miss most down Nakobe Dean
Yesterday at 05:34 PM
When news broke that Nakobe Dean suffered a playoffs-ending torn patellar tendon in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers, it added a bittersweet tinge to what should have been a celebratory occasion in South Philadelphia.
Though he may not get all of the accolades as his teammate Zack Baun, who will now be negotiating a new contract as First Team All-Pro, Dean has been an instrumental part of the Eagles’ defense, relaying the calls from Vic Fangio to his teammates as Philadelphia’s middle linebacker while making sure everyone is in the correct spot pre-snap.
Discussing what he’s seen from Dean during his break-out third season in Philadelphia and how his team will miss the pride of Georgia moving forward, Nick Sirianni celebrated how the third-round pick has really come into his own in 2024, as he has truly become an instrumental part of the Eagles defense.
“[LB] Nakobe [Dean] has had a great year. As you guys saw in the reports, he’s going to be out, and we sure will miss him. He has made big plays all year long. One that comes to everyone’s mind is going to be the interception against Jacksonville to seal the game,” Sirianni told reporters.
“But he had a couple plays in yesterday’s game that were just outstanding, that set the tone of how we were going to play. The fourth play of the game, the way he comes down – I think the fourth play of the game yesterday really shows you who Nakobe Dean is. He identifies the play lightning fast, and that’s because of how much time he spends working on this game. He loves football, and how much time he spends working on this game of football and being able to diagnose plays. He lights up the puller with just that physical toughness play. You saw everything of who Nakobe is in that play. Bam, good football IQ. Boom, physical toughness. Yeah, we’ll miss him, that’s for sure. Got a lot of faith in the guys in that room, but we’ll for sure miss Nakobe. He’s had a really good year.
Appearing in 15 games with 15 starts for the Eagles, Dean more than doubled every single state he recorded in his first two seasons in the NFL combined in 2024, logging 128 tackles, nine tackles for loss, six QB hits, four passes defensed, an interception and a forced fumble as Philadelphia’s middle linebacker. And the best part? He just turned 24 back in December, meaning that the Eagles could easily have Dean man the middle of their defense for the rest of the decade if they so choose.
While only time will tell how much time Dean will miss in 2025, as a patellar tear can have a recovery period of at least six months, when he does return to the field, in a contract year, no less, it’s clear the Eagles will celebrate the day, as they will be getting back one of the true leaders of their defense.
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