Eagles player Nakobe Dean fights hard for his starting spot

Since the spring and now through 12 of 13 training camps, Devin White and Zack Baun have been the Eagles' best inside linebackers.

But this competition is not over yet.

Not if Nakobe Dean has anything to say about it.

The Eagles' third-year linebacker was consistently inserted into the first-team defense during an intense training camp and was even better in the preseason. Through the first two preseason games, Dean was the highest-rated Eagles player on defense and the third-highest-rated linebacker in the league, according to ProFootballFocus.

“I feel been “I'm in a rhythm,” Dean said after Thursday night's season-ending win. “I feel like I had a good training camp, I stacked days. I probably had a really bad practice. Other than that, I feel like I've gotten better and I'm working on getting better.”

Dean, 23, was drafted in the third round out of Georgia in 2022 and essentially had a redshirt season as a rookie. He was classified as a starter early in 2023 but suffered foot injuries that derailed his season, leading to a lengthy recovery process.

Since his return this spring and the 13-day training camp, he seems to be behind White and Baun in the race for the starting linebacker position. But Dean is giving it his all.

“When I came back, it was like they definitely didn't put me in the spot that a lot of people probably expected me to be in,” Dean said. “So it was just a case of me continuing to take advantage of every opportunity and every rep that I get.”

Last year, the Eagles gave Dean a spot in the starting lineup.

He wants to make it this year.

“You have to work. Put your head down and work,” Dean said. “I've been playing ball since I was 4 years old. Nothing was given to me.”

“Coming from Horn Lake, Mississippi, I wasn't given much attention. We didn't have anyone playing in D-1. I was able to overcome the odds and go to Georgia. I'm a 5-11 middle linebacker, had to overcome the odds in Georgia, the [National Championship]. Get drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. I just have to keep working every day and take every opportunity I get.”

Throughout training camp, White and Baun have started at top linebacker most days, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has really mixed and matched at the position. All of the top guys – White, Baun, Dean and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – have played side by side.

While it seems very likely that White will be in the starting lineup, it also seems obvious that the other guys are fighting for playing time alongside him.

Even though Baun has played solidly and Trotter Jr. has shown encouraging signs, Dean could still get the job.

“Of course I want to play,” Dean said Saturday. “I want to be the first one to play. But I can't control that. The only thing I can control is what I do here every day. And work hard and keep getting better. I feel like I've had exactly the training camp I should have had.”

After Thursday night's game, Dean seems to be in full swing.

Head coach Nick Sirianni thought Dean played “really well” against the Patriots on Thursday night in Foxboro.

“He was flying around the ball,” Sirianni said. “He had that play — first of all, to talk about our core values, he had a detailed play on his tackle where he darted out and made a tackle on a block. That was great, right? His tackling fundamentals. He just took the guy down. Not in the prettiest way, but just took the guy down. … He just did an incredible job of taking the guy down.

“Then he had a play where he blitzed and locked his back. I would have loved to have gotten a better win on that play, but then the play – we had a couple of missed tackles on that play, and he's four yards in the backfield, running back, and makes a really good tackle. Sometimes missed tackles turn into something explosive. Well, that didn't happen because of the tireless effort of Nakobe. His fundamentals, his tackling, his block destruction, his effort on his plays is really what you can see his talent in.”

Dean's solid play continued Saturday morning at NovaCare Complex. He had a big hit on running back Will Shipley in a 7-on-7 replay. He knocked down the rookie running back and has been making sure to increase his physicality all summer.

White certainly noticed.

“The guy flies around, man,” White said. “He's very physical when he makes contact. He always wants to be the hitter. The hammer and not the nail. That's what I really like about him. Just a relentless attitude to go out there and kill.”

There is no doubt that Dean is having the best training camp of his young career. Aside from a poor performance at the public workout, Dean has played many more games this summer than he did in 2022 or 2023.

After all the hard work he put into rehab during the offseason, Dean appreciates his chance to return to the field as an improved player in year three.

“I'm not back,” Dean said. “I'm better.”