Why Eagles are making sure Nakobe Dean is still part of team after injury

Why Eagles are making sure Nakobe Dean is still part of team after injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Nakobe Dean wasn’t in Philly last Sunday when the Eagles won the NFC Championship to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LIX.

But he was still a part of the celebration.

The Eagles’ middle linebacker was in Los Angeles recovering from surgery to repair his torn patellar tendon but his teammates made sure to FaceTime him from the winning locker room. They saw Dean’s wide smile looking back at them through a phone screen.

“It just shows you the connection of our team and how much we care for guys,” said Dean’s close friend and former college roommate Nolan Smith, who ran out of the tunnel holding Dean’s jersey before the divisional round.

“That’s one big thing that coach preaches is connection. That’s what we try to show. We don’t talk about it, we try to do it in our own way.”

Before the Eagles even got into the locker room, head coach Nick Sirianni got to share a moment with Dean on FaceTime from the confetti-covered Lincoln Financial Field.

“He’s always going to be a part of the team as long as we here,” Jordan Davis said. “When we’re out here and we’re balling, we’re balling for him. He may not get an opportunity to get on the field but we just want to make sure he’s a part of the celebration too.”

In the locker room, the Eagles passed around a phone so a bunch of different players got a chance to share a moment with Dean. They all appreciated it.

“He’s a huge part of this,” rookie Jalyx Hunt said. “We wouldn’t be here without Nakobe. He welcomed me to the team so I appreciate him for that. We got real close over this season. He had to be there. Since he just had surgery, he wasn’t able to actually be there but he still had to be in the locker room with us.”

Dean, 24, had a breakout season in 2024. He started 15 games in the regular season and had 128 tackles, 3 sacks, 9 TFLs, 4 pass breakups and a game-sealing interception. He also handled responsibilities as the green dot in the Eagles’ defense. Dean’s teammate and friend Zack Baun has worn the green dot the last two games.

The Eagles drafted Dean in the third round back in 2022 and he basically had a redshirt season. In his second year, Dean was supposed to be the starting MIKE but dealt with foot injuries and had his season cut short. But in Year 3, Dean was a revelation. While Baun had an All-Pro season, Dean was playing at a really high level going into the playoffs.

But in the wild-card win over the Packers, Dean suffered that season-ending knee injury and faces a lengthy recovery that could keep him out for at least part of the 2025 season. Dean’s final play of the season was a tackle for loss. Baun said Dean isn’t dwelling on the injury and is looking forward to using the injury as an opportunity to see the game from a different perspective.

Baun said when he was injured in college, he just wanted to feel like he was still involved and still a part of the team. The Eagles are making sure Dean feels like that now.

“He’s such a big part of this defense and this team,” Baun. “As a linebacker corps, we call ourselves the heartbeat of the defense. Really, he’s one of the heartbeats of the team. And it hurt so bad not to have him out there, especially in this moment, but he’ll be with us in New Orleans for sure. He means a lot to us and myself personally.”

The Eagles are flying to New Orleans for Super Bowl week on Sunday afternoon and they’ll get a chance to reunite with Dean, who is expected to make the trip.

While Dean still faces a long recovery, it’ll be a boost for his teammates to see him this week.

“Excited to see him down in New Orleans,” said veteran Oren Burks, who has replaced Dean in the starting lineup. “I think he’s going to make the trip out there. It speaks a lot to the room. We have a really great bond. Guys really bond with each other on and off the field and want to see each other succeed. It goes a long way.”

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