Eagles Goal Is Persevering Without Defensive Leader

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles lost the on-field leader of their defense in Sunday's 22-10 Wild Card Weekend win over Green Bay.

The heart, soul, and green dot for Vic Fangio's No. 1 defense, middle linebacker Nakobe Dean, suffered a torn patellar tendon in the second quarter, according to a league source. The injury will likely require a lengthy rehabilitation period that could extend into the 2025 season.

A college superstar at Georgia where he won a national championship and the Butkus Award as the nation's top LB, Dean broke out in his third professional season after outplaying the much-hyped Devin White over the summer.

In a career-high 15 games (all starts) Dean finished with 128 tackles -- nine for loss -- three sacks, six quarterback hits, 13 QB pressures, his first career interception, four passes defensed, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

As impressive as those stat sheet-stuffing numbers are, Dean's physical presence in the middle set the tone for the defense that finished No. 2 in points allowed, No. 10 against the rush, No. 1 against the pass, No. 3 in third-down defense and No. 5 in red-zone defense.

As a testament to Dean's toughness, he finished the play in which he was hurt by tackling Packers star tight end Tucker Kraft for a three-yard loss.

Afterward, Dean had to be helped off the field by trainers and was ultimately carted to the locker room. After the game, Dean was spotted with a large brace on his left knee and using crutches.

“You hate that,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said when asked about Dean's injury. “He’s a pivotal piece to our defense and he’ll be missed. I’m praying for a speedy recovery.”

No one took the loss of Dean harder than edge rusher Nolan Smith, not only a college teammate of Dean's at Georgia but also a roommate of the LB while both were with the Bulldogs.

“It hurt my heart,” Smith said. “... “Because to a lot of people, man, it’s a game. This is a game to them. ‘Oh, it’s just football, it’s just football.’ Man, this is our livelihood. I know me and him leave it out there on the field. We was just talking about it. It’s another time that we’re in the playoffs together.

“And it almost made me tear up before the game because we was roommates in college. I helped recruit him and tried to get him to come to Georgia with me. Two country boys and just trying to make a way. It just hurt my heart, man. I know I’m going on and on about this but he worked so hard and his determination."

Veteran Oren Burks replaced Dean in the lineup and finished things against the Packers with All-Pro Zack Baun taking over the green dot.

Burks, a seven-year veteran, is expected to fill in for Dean for the rest of the Eagles' playoff run with rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. stepping up into the LB3 role. Depth is now also an issue with undrafted rookie Dallas Gant likely to be elevated from the practice squad.

In Week 17 against Dallas when Dean was inactive due to an abdomen injury Burks started slowly and Trotter rotated in before the veteran settled down and finished.

That could be Fangio's plan moving forward, allowing Burks to have the first crack and pivoting to the rookie if need be.

Moving forward the NFC playoffs are filled with running backs that excel in space both as runners and receivers like Minnesota's Aaron Jones, Washington's Austin Ekeler, and most notably Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs, players that can do damage with option, angle, and wheel routes out of the backfield.

"He’s been our leader for the whole year, just commanding accountability from the top down," Burks said after the game. "We’re gonna miss him. Don’t know what the situation is, but again, next man up."

That's easier said than done.

Replacing Dean at this late stage isn't possible. The upside is persevering without the defensive leader.

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