Eagles Mailbag: What’s the Plan for Nakobe Dean?

The Philadelphia Eagles are somehow 4-0, despite all of the team’s maddening offensive struggles. Now Philadelphia is set to host the Denver Broncos in Week 5, who have one of the best defenses in the NFL.

While the Eagles have been able to win in spite of their issues, there are still several questions surrounding the team in October. What’s the plan with Nakobe Dean? Should Landon Dickerson sit out a few games? I’ll discuss that and more in my latest Eagles mailbag.

Nakobe Dean suffered a patellar tendon injury in his left knee last season and looks to be close to returning in 2025. The Eagles opened up Dean’s 21-day practice window, which means he’ll be returning soon, potentially as early as this week.

Yet given how well Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell have played this season, how does Dean fit in Philadelphia’s plans? Ideally, I’d like to see the Eagles utilize all three players on the field together.

While they’re all listed as linebackers on paper, Baun and Campbell aren’t your typical players at the position. They can both slide down and set the edge or drop in coverage. If Eagles defensive coordinator opts to use Dean, Baun and Campbell on the field together, it would open up a lot of interesting possibilities.

Yet if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, right? The Eagles have found a special linebacker duo in Baun and Campbell this season. While Dean was great last season, he has struggled with multiple injuries throughout his career and is in a contract year.

My guess is that the Eagles will find a smaller role for Dean to play in Fangio’s defense in 2025. He is likely too important to Philadelphia’s locker room for the Eagles to move on from midseason.

Keeping Dean on the roster past the trade deadline would allow him to get healthy and not push to start elsewhere. He can then hit the free agent market in 2026 and compete for a starting job elsewhere, while also netting the Eagles a potential compensatory pick.

Eagles starting left guard Landon Dickerson clearly isn’t fully healthy. I said it in Week 1 and was crucified for pointing out his struggles against Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones. Yet Dickerson’s injuries are clearly hampering Philadelphia’s offense.

Dickerson has already allowed three sacks and 13 total pressures in four games, according to Pro Football Focus. Dickerson has never allowed more than five sacks in a single season of his NFL career. Yet he appears to be on pace to shatter that mark in 2025.

While it’s usually admirable when a player is “toughing it out” and playing through injury, it feels like Dickerson can’t get out of his own way. Ideally, the Eagles should rest him for a few games, especially with the bye week still a month away.

Matt Pryor struggled at right tackle, but he is more comfortable on the inside and can surely start at left guard for a few games. Yet Dickerson will likely continue to be stubborn and play through multiple injuries.

The Eagles are quite a polarizing team to talk about this season. There is one side that believes this is 2023 all over again and that an eventual collapse is unavoidable. Then there is the other side that believes the Eagles being 4-0, despite their struggles, should be concerning for the rest of the NFL.

I’d say that I fall somewhere in the middle of all of that, if possible. The offensive struggles and Kevin Patullo’s play-calling are certainly concerning, but I also think that this team has everything necessary to flip a switch in 2025.

Fangio’s defense has struggled to rush the passer without blitzing, yet his ability to adapt and maximize the player’s strengths is special. It feels like this iteration of Philadelphia’s defense can somehow be even better than last year’s defense.

Therefore, through the first four weeks of the regular season, I’d give the Eagles a letter grade of B-. There is a lot to like about this team and also a fair amount to be concerned about. Yet at 4-0 and with their postseason history, it’s hard to doubt them at this point.

I simply don’t see the Eagles changing the offensive play caller this season. Kevin Patullo is off to a rocky start but Philadelphia has allowed shaky offensive coordinators to work through their issues in recent years, for better or for worse.

Patullo has spent eight seasons working with Nick Sirianni and I don’t think that he’ll be demoted anytime soon. If play-calling was the only issue with Philadelphia’s offense, then I could understand making a sudden change.

Yet Philadelphia’s offensive issues go far beyond who is calling the plays. Luckily, it’s only Week 5 and there is still plenty of time left during the regular season to figure things out and get healthier.

I’m actually a big fan of the new “Rivalries” uniforms and enjoyed each team’s take on the new look in 2025. It seems like the NFL will rotate between divisions, one in each conference, during each season for the new concept.

While I’m not sure which year the Eagles will get their opportunity to design “Rivalries” uniforms, there are a few different directions that they can go in. I’d like to see the Eagles get a bit crazy with their uniform when given the chance to do so.

What if the Eagles followed the same template that the Sixers used for their throwback black uniforms that they’re bringing back in 2025? It would be cool to see the Eagles’ all black uniforms but with the midnight green and silver replaced by red and gold.

The biggest key against the Broncos will be slowing down Denver’s dangerous pass rush. While the Broncos might not have any star pass rushers that the average NFL fan would recognize, Denver’s defensive front is one of the most fearsome units in the league.

The Broncos are currently first in the NFL in sacks (15), total pressures (104) and pressure rate (46.8%). Philadelphia’s offensive line has struggled through the first four weeks of the regular season and will need to do a better job against the Broncos in Week 5.

Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper and Jonah Elliss form arguably the best edge rushing trio in the NFL. The Eagles also can’t forget about Zach Allen on the inside, who they reportedly had interest in signing back in 2023.

After failing to put a complete game together thus far, Philadelphia’s offense will have their hands full on Sunday. The Eagles should try to rely on the quick passing game and Jalen Hurts’ ability as a rusher on designed runs to limit Denver’s elite pass rush.