During Sunday’s Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles starting linebacker Nakobe Dean was carted off the field. He received a regrettable injury update, despite the initial assumption that the apparent injury he sustained was mild. It has been disclosed that Dean would miss the rest of the Eagles’ postseason run due to a serious knee injury.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports: “Sources tell me and Mike Garafolo that Eagles LB Nakobe Dean, who was carted off during last night’s playoff victory, is feared to have suffered a significant knee injury that would knock him out for the playoffs.” To provide the complete news, he will get an MRI this morning. With 128 tackles this season, including nine for a loss, Dean became a starter.
Nakobe Dean Leg Injury
Despite missing the remainder of the postseason and possibly facing a lengthy rehabilitation period due to the severity of his injury, Dean will undergo additional tests to ascertain the extent of the damage to his knee. Dean seemed to get rolled on after a tackle and was seen to be in discomfort right away. The linebacker needed assistance getting off the field, and the training crew would go out to give him aid.
The telecast showed Dean being carried to the locker room after he had been on the sidelines for a while when the cart arrived. Usually, athletes that need to be taken off the field have major injuries, but occasionally, the injuries are relatively minor.
The emerging linebacker does not have that luxury, and Dean will need to recuperate from his knee injury for the remainder of the playoffs. The linebacker had a fantastic 2024 season, so the Eagles are devastated by this loss.
With 128 tackles, Dean ranked second on the Eagles in total. Zach Baun, who leads the squad with 128 points, was the only person behind him. Additionally, Dean had nine tackles for loss as opposed to Baun’s eleven. The linebacking tandem of Dean and Baun was devastating the opposition quarterbacks.
Background
The Eagles easily defeated the Packers with a final score of 22–10, which is wonderful news. They will play the winner of Monday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs. Since the Eagles picked him with the 83rd overall choice in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Dean has been a member of the team.
Prior to that, Dean gained recognition during his three seasons as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs. With 72 total stops, 11 tackles for loss, six pass deflections, six sacks, and two interceptions for 50 yards and a touchdown in 15 games, Dean emerged as a standout performer in his final season.
As a result, Dean won the CFP National Championship with Georgia, was selected a unanimous All-American, and received the Dick Butkus Award. With 13 total tackles and one tackle for loss in 17 games during his rookie season with the Eagles, Dean didn’t play much. Dean missed most of the 2023 NFL season after being selected as a starting linebacker. He was placed on Injured Reserve twice and had a foot ailment.
Dean collected 30 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and 0.5 sacks in his five games, four of which he started. During the 2024 NFL season, Dean really blossomed and helped the Eagles become the league’s top defense. He has nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, three sacks, four pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and an interception in 15 games. We can only hope that he will be able to return soon.
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Shubhangi Gupta is a distinguished content writer and the visionary founder of The Unpleasant – Acha Nahi Sabse Sacha. With a Master’s degree in Commerce from University of Lucknow, Shubhangi has seamlessly blended her academic background with her passion for reading and writing, embarking on a successful career as a content writer since 2019.
