Back in 2022, I remember watching the College Football National Championship and thinking just how amazing that Georgia defense was. Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Kelee Ringo, Travon Walker…imagine having just one of those guys play for the Eagles. The real star of that game though was Nakobe Dean. I didn’t even consider him as a possibility (or Carter for that matter) since the Eagles never drafted linebackers early and Dean was surely getting picked in the first round. Then the first night of the Draft happened.
This was the year we had three first round picks, condensed them down to two, then saw the Eagles trade one for AJ Brown. Jordan Davis was our guy at #13. Oh my god, we got one of them! Davis was an athletic freak and no surprise first rounder. Where would the rest of these Bulldogs fall? Travon Walker went #1, Quay Walker went #22, Devonte Wyatt went #28, Lewis Cine went #32, and surely Nakobe Dean would be next. In fact, how was he not taken already?
The second round was the following evening and Eagles were picking #51. I had my fingers crossed for Dean. Nope, Cam Jurgens. Georgia receiver George Pickens went #52 and running back James Cook went #63. Still no Dean after 2 rounds.
The Eagles had the 83rd overall pick coming in the 3rd round. When Nakobe Dean finally heard his name selected, I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked he was available and I was shocked we picked him. Certainly, he must have had some kind of injury that would make this pick questionable in the future right? How did the best player on the best defense drop to the middle of the 3rd round and after 7 of his teammates?
Ok, that’s enough waxing poetic about that draft. Dean didn’t see the field much as a rookie, got hurt in his second year, and then broke out in his 3rd before getting hurt. After missing the first 6 games this season, he is back to being the leader of this defense again. Unfortunately for team building purposes, a lot has happened in the past year.
The way the 2024 season was playing out, it sure looked like Zack Baun had played himself right out of Philadelphia. He was simply too good to pay the amount he would be looking for. Plus, there was Dean. You could let a player like Baun go if you had a younger Dean ready to take his place. Then Dean got hurt and that plan was shot. All of a sudden, the Eagles NEEDED to re-sign Baun. If they didn’t there would be a gaping hole at LB for the defending Super Bowl champion. The Eagles brought Baun back on a 3/$51m contract. Though Dean was eligible for a contract extension, there was never any indication that either side was considering one.
LB Jihaad Campbell was expected to go in the mid-first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He started slipping too, not unlike Dean, except the Eagles knew he wouldn’t last anywhere near as long. Trading up one spot, Campbell was coming to Philadelphia with the #31 overall pick. From the second he put on the pads in the summer, he looked like a stud. When the regular season started, he played like it too. Even with Dean out, the Eagles had two high quality linebackers.
Dean came back from IR and didn’t miss a beat. In fact, he looks like the best player on this defense, ascending back to the captaincy he previously relinquished upon leaving Georgia. He’s one of the best LBs in the league. The big problem is that we just paid one LB top shelf money and the other is a 21-year-old standout rookie. The Eagles do not regularly play with three LBs. Since Dean needs a new contract this offseason, what are we going to do?
This past spring, the Eagles let Milton Williams and Josh Sweat walk. They were good players, but with Moro Ojomo and Jalyx Hunt ready to take their place and Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith already lined up on their other side, they were never going to get paid. Howie Roseman doesn’t like to pay good players, he likes to pay great players. Last year, Zack Baun was great, but he was also absolutely needed.
Is Nakobe Dean great? Well, he might be. The Eagles also highly value leadership. Saquon Barkley didn’t get a quick contract extension because he ran for 2000 yards and backwards hurdled a guy, he got the deal because he holds everyone together on the offense. Dean sure looks like that for the defense. That could be the motivator for getting a deal done.
Ideally, I suppose, Dean signs an extension in the offseason then the Eagles let Zack Baun walk/trade him after year 2 of his 3-year contract. That would mean a $3m cap hit in 2027 and a $6.5m cap hit in 2028, both are incredibly manageable. However, it would also mean carrying 3 LBs next year and Jihaad Campbell not getting the proper reps he needs or deserves. You wish he were just a little bit better as an EDGE defender, but he just isn’t there yet.
I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up though. In all likelihood, Dean is not coming back. He is probably looking at a contract around 4 years and between $15 and $18m per season. That’s a lot. It would be very easy for the Eagles to just accept their comp pick and roll with Baun and Campbell as one hopefully ages well and the other grows into the force he’s destined to be.
There is still a lot of season left and we don’t know what is going to happen. Hell, at this time last year we didn’t realize Dean would get hurt, Baun would be a DPOY candidate, or that Howie would draft a first round linebacker for the first time ever. It is a very good problem to have.
Philly Front Office 
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