As the Eagles move on to the divisional round of the playoffs, Nakobe Dean is out for the rest of the postseason.
The 24-year-old inside linebacker suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in the Eagles’ wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, a league source confirmed to The Inquirer. The NFL Network first reported the news. Not only will the injury knock him out for the remaining playoff run, but his recovery reportedly could linger into the beginning of the 2025 season.
“We’ll miss him,” coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. “That’s for sure. I’ve got a lot of faith of the guys in that room. But we’ll for sure miss Nakobe and he’s had a really good year.”
Dean went down late in the second quarter after tackling Packers tight end Tucker Kraft on a screen pass. He was helped off the field by trainers and required a cart to take him indoors after a visit to the medical tent. The 2022 third-round pick was spotted postgame using a crutch and wearing a brace on his left leg. After the victory, Eagles outside linebacker Nolan Smith described the emotions he experienced while watching his former Georgia teammate suffer a serious injury.
“It hurt my heart,” Smith said. “As soon as I walked in here, seeing him in here, I prayed and then I was the first one there, and he told me. I tried to help him up and I just immediately closed my eyes and prayed right there, just ‘cause to a lot of people, man, it’s a game. This is a game to them. This is, ‘Oh, it’s just football. It’s just football.’ Man, it’s our livelihood.”
In his first year as a full-time starter, Dean made an impact in the middle of the Eagles defense. He had been one of Vic Fangio’s best players against the run, finishing the season with a league-high 41 “stops,” according to Pro Football Focus. The metric is a tackle that constitutes a failure for the opposing offense.
Dean earned the starting inside linebacker role out of training camp following an injury-riddled start to his NFL career. After serving in a reserve role in 2022, Dean was initially named the starter for the 2023 season. However, Dean suffered a right foot injury in the season opener and was placed on injured reserve. He returned to action in Weeks 6-9, but he sustained a Lisfranc left foot sprain in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys that caused him to miss the rest of the season.
In his third year, Dean locked down the starting role and remained mostly healthy throughout the regular season, missing just one game due to an abdominal injury in Week 17 against the Cowboys. He finished the year with 128 tackles (No. 2 on the team), nine tackles for losses (No. 3), one interception, two fumble recoveries, four pass breakups, three sacks, and six quarterback hits in 15 games. Dean added six tackles, including two for losses, in the wild-card win.
When Dean came out of Sunday’s game, 29-year-old inside linebacker Oren Burks took his place alongside Zack Baun. Burks, whom the Eagles signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, had an inconsistent performance throughout his 36 defensive snaps. Despite posting five tackles, he was also credited with three missed tackles, according to PFF, which tied for the second-highest total on the team. After the game, Burks explained that his behind-the-scenes work enabled him to step in when Dean went down.
“I feel like just the preparation, just preparing like a starter no matter what in the film room,” Burks said Sunday. “Knowing all the checks for the ‘Mike’ and the ‘Will’ spot. Anything can happen with either Zack or Nakobe, so I feel like I’ve been in the league for a while now. So it’s just like I’ve kind of seen a lot of looks. Just try to capitalize on them and make plays when my name is called.”
To this point in his NFL career, Burks has primarily served as a special teams ace. The Packers’ 2018 third-round pick out of Vanderbilt, Burks played approximately 13% of the defensive snaps through his first five years (four with the Packers, one with the San Francisco 49ers). He took on a greater defensive role in his second season with the 49ers in 2023, playing 34% of the defensive snaps and filling in for the injured Dre Greenlaw in Super Bowl LVIII.
Sirianni said that strong special-teams performances can be predictors for the physical tools a player can bring to the linebacker position. Burks also contributed on special teams against the Packers, forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff that the Eagles recovered to set up the offense for its first touchdown. Now, with Dean injured, Burks will have an opportunity to make more of an impact on defense.
“You’re going to need all bodies,” Sirianni said. “You’re going to need everybody ready to roll. Oren’s been consistently ready to play and played well and performed well every time he stepped on the field. As bummed as I am that Nakobe doesn’t get to play, I’m excited for Oren and his opportunity to play.”