Eagles vs. Ravens: Nakobe Dean Reacts to 'Bottom-Line Business'
PHILADELPHIA - Nakobe Dean was out for a few days of training camp with an ankle injury and the Philadelphia Eagles went out and signed a pair of veteran linebackers who have 171 career NFL starts between them in Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham.
There's not necessarily a direct causal effect between those two stipulated facts but you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to ponder about a potential relationship.
"Shoot, no," is what head coach Nick Sirianni spun when asked about that common-sense conclusion. "... I feel really good about Nakobe. When he was out there, he was doing a nice job running the defense, being in position to make plays."
Dean, the second-year player who was once the guy on a national championship defense at Georgia, remains penciled in as the green dot of the Eagles' defense despite participating in just 34 defensive snaps as a rookie,
For now, that status seems unchanged and Dean isn't looking over his shoulder even if he is aware of the bottom-line nature of NFL business practices.
“I know it's a business," Dean said after returning to team drills Thursday, something he missed during the prior four practices. The 22-year-old was able to do individual work on Aug. 3 before tweaking the ankle and returning to individuals on Wednesday. Dean was finally declared a full go Thursday in advance of Saturday's preseason opener at Baltimore.
"I know what kind of league this is. You've gotta perform and the best players are going to play," Dean correctly surmised. "... That's the only thing I'm worried about."
The feel around the NovaCare Complex is that the signings of Jack and Cunningham have more to do with upgrading the weak-side role where Christian Elliss and Nicholas Morrow have been splitting reps when Dean is out there.
There's little doubt, though, that the presence of Jack and Cunningham offers a two-pronged effect as both a potential upgrade coupled with Dean and an added insurance policy if the 2021 Butkus Award winner isn't what he has been billed as coming out of the SEC.
“They add competition to the room," Dean said of the duo. "They add depth to the linebacker group."
And Jack and Cunningham also add the experience and wisdom that Dean covets and probably still needs after T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White left via free agency.
“When they signed those guys, I wanted to get as much information out of them," said Dean. "They're great players. They’re guys that I watched in college, watched their film, tried to emulate some of the things they do. ... They bring a lot of insight. So when they brought them in, I was thinking, ‘Yeah, get as much information as I can.’”
When healthy, Dean has been steady if unspectacular in training camp. There haven't been many splash plays but also few glaring mistakes. A team source described that Elliss has been the best LB in camp to date, though.
“I feel like I've done a good job,” Dean said. “I've done a good job as far as communicating and everything. Every day I'm just continuing to work to get better. Of course, I feel like I can do a better job, but no matter what I've done this camp, if I was the greatest thing since sliced bread or the worst, I’d probably still say I could be better in every aspect of my game.”
Come Sept. 10 the plan at New England is still Dean and TBD (to be determined) with Elliss, Morrow, Jack, and Cunningham all in the mix to win the other off-ball linebacker job.
Meanwhile, if Dean has lost any self-confidence by GM Howie Roseman extending the talent-gathering season into August with meaningful veteran players, he's not showing it.
“You've got to have that confidence in yourself,” Dean said. “I've got to have that confidence.
"If I don't believe in me, who will?"
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
