Eagles’ Howie Roseman defends his team-building philosophy at linebacker and has belief in Nakobe Dean
The Eagles traditionally don't invest heavily in the position, but after going with low-cost starters and a season-ending injury to Dean, Roseman is standing by his philosophy.
It doesn’t sound like the 2023 season led to a change of heart for Howie Roseman when it comes to the linebacker position.
In the aftermath of an Eagles season that featured shaky linebacker play from a thin, unheralded group, the general manager defended his team-building philosophy of searching for low-cost options to fill out the position.
“We’ve had a long history of success here building the team a certain way,” Roseman said Wednesday. “I think maybe there are some preconceived notions that, at the linebacker position, that we don’t care who we play at linebacker. Again, our two Super Bowl teams over the last six years, the linebacker play was good from those guys.”
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It’s true the Eagles got quality play from T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White en route to a Super Bowl LVII berth last season, illustrative that it doesn’t always require heavy investment to find starting-caliber linebackers, especially on a team with a talented defensive line.
Still, Edwards and White both got more lucrative offers in free agency last offseason as the Eagles prioritized cornerback duo Darius Slay and James Bradberry instead. Edwards, who signed a three-year contract worth $19.5 million with the Chicago Bears, had 155 tackles, three interceptions, and a forced fumble this season. White had 90 tackles and one interception for the Arizona Cardinals playing for former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
By comparison, the Eagles spent most of the season with Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham as their starting duo with little depth behind them. Cunningham had some impressive moments coming downhill against the run, but the team’s middle-field defense struggled mightily against the pass.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cunningham gave up 47 catches for 390 yards while recording six passbreakups. Morrow struggled even more, allowing 48 catches for 566 yards with just one PBU.
The Eagles went into training camp with second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean and Morrow as the expected duo to replace Edwards and White and and signed Cunningham when Dean missed time early in the summer. They went into Week 1 with just three linebackers on the 53-man roster and had stayed thin at the position throughout the season.
The initial plan placed a great deal of faith in Dean emerging as a viable starter after spending his rookie season with a limited role in the defense, something Roseman alluded to on Wednesday.
“I have a lot of belief, and I know [coach Nick Sirianni] does, as well, in Nakobe Dean,” Roseman said. “I believe in the player. I believe in the person. We lost two linebackers at that spot, two good players from our Super Bowl team. And we had Nakobe waiting in the wings. We drafted him for that role. Obviously, it didn’t work out perfectly for him this year. That doesn’t change the belief we have in the player.”
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Dean’s second season was derailed by injuries. He missed four games early in the season with a right foot injury and suffered a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot four games after returning, leading to him getting season-ending surgery.
While Dean didn’t deal with many injuries in college, medical concerns caused him to fall into the third round of the draft in 2022. He was healthy throughout his rookie season and logged 75% of the Eagles’ special teams snaps, but played just 3% of the team’s defensive snaps with Edwards and White ahead of him on the depth chart.
During the Eagles’ locker clean-out day last week, Dean still wore a walking boot and said he would continue doing so for a few more weeks. The 23-year-old also said he expects to be back for offseason workouts in a few months.
“I’m moving and walking around well,” Dean said. “I really don’t need the boot, but protocol is for me to wear the boot, so I still have three more weeks in the boot. I’ll be here in Philly the whole time. Through OTAs, through all that. I’m not going anywhere, I’m going to do all my rehab here.”
Whether Roseman’s words will match his actions in the next few months remains to be seen. The Eagles go into the offseason needing to rebuild the defense and have the draft capital to avoid being picky with the positions they target. Including the four compensatory picks they’re in line to receive after losing several key contributors in free agency last year, they have four picks in the first three rounds and eight picks total.
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Morrow will be a free agent this offseason, as will Cunningham, who Roseman said on Wednesday “had a good year.”
Dean said he believes the Eagles still view him as a major part of the plan at linebacker going into his third season.
“I hope so, but whatever happens I’ll be ready to work,” Dean said. “I just want what’s best for the team. That’s what I want. I feel like the best players should play. I’m going to work and if I’m the best version of myself, then I don’t have anything to worry about.
“They know who I am. If they don’t, then when I get healthy, they’ll see.”