Eagles’ Nakobe Dean stays sharp and gives back to the Philadelphia youth while on injured reserve

Nakobe Dean is eagerly awaiting his return to the football field. The Eagles’ second-year linebacker remains on injured reserve — which means he will miss at least three more games — due to the right foot injury he suffered in the season opener on Sept. 10.

“I’m doing my best to stay mentally sharp. I’m watching the most film I’ve ever watched,” Dean said Tuesday evening from the Bridesburg Boys & Girls Club, where he helped fill 5,000 backpacks with supplies for local students in under-resourced schools. Quarterback Marcus Mariota and offensive tackle Fred Johnson joined Dean at his event in partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation.

“[I’m] going through the game as it progresses, watching the film, and telling guys what I see,” Dean said of his film study. “Even though I’m not playing, I want to meet with [linebackers coach D.J. Elliot and defensive coordinator Sean Desai] on a regular basis and make sure they know what I’m thinking in certain situations.”

Dean’s injury occurred near the end of the third quarter of the team’s victory over New England. With the Patriots facing third-and-21, Mac Jones completed a dump-off to Demario Douglas in the flat. While Dean attempted to shed a block and pursue the ballcarrier, safety Justin Evans ran into him from behind. Dean said his cleat momentarily caught in the turf. The 2022 third-round pick out of Georgia was able to walk off on his own power, and no injury timeout was necessary. But once Dean retreated to the sideline, he realized he needed to visit the medical tent and exit the game.

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This is the first time in Dean’s college and pro career that he has missed games due to injury. He played in 39 of 39 potential games with the Bulldogs, and during his final season, he was the recipient of the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker. As an Eagles rookie in 2022, Dean appeared in every game and became a key special-teams contributor. This offseason, Dean emerged as a starter and he was assigned the “green dot” by the coaching staff as the main communicator in the defensive huddle.

Dean’s injury is unrelated to the left ankle injury that he sustained during training camp. Because he’s on IR, Dean will not travel with the team to its game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

The 22-year-old is optimistic that he’ll be able to return in Week 6, when the Eagles have a road game against the New York Jets, although he’ll need to check off all the boxes in the eyes of the team’s training and medical staff. Immediately following his injury, Dean sported a walking boot in the visitors’ locker room at Gillette Stadium. He was not wearing any type of boot or protection on his right foot on Tuesday evening.

“It’s a credit to his character,” Mariota said of Dean. “He’s a young guy, and sometimes players his age are always just trying to make sure you’re in the playbook. With him specifically, young guys are always just trying to stay healthy, especially when they’re hurt. So for him to be here on our off day, giving back to the youth and community, it says a lot about who he is with his stature as a defensive leader on our team. I think this is just the beginning for Nakobe.”

With Dean sidelined, the Eagles have relied on free-agent signees Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow, both of whom started during the team’s victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.

Morrow, 28, signed a one-year contract with the Eagles in March, but he was cut at the conclusion of training camp. He later was signed to the practice squad, and was promoted to the active roster last week following Dean’s injury.

Despite signing during the middle of training camp, Cunningham, 28, made the team as the Eagles kept just three off-ball linebackers (Dean, Cunningham, and Christian Elliss) on the initial 53-man roster. Over the first two weeks, Cunningham is tied with safety Reed Blankenship for most tackles on the team with 12.

Before his injury, Dean compiled seven tackles through the first three quarters of the season opener.

“It’s always great to be able to be 2-0,” he said. “I’m a student of the game, so I’m always trying to go through all of the film. We’ve had two hard-fought games. It’s a testament to our teammates, coaches, the entire organization. I can’t wait to be back on the field, battling with my guys.”

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Dean also said he’ll continue to give back on a regular basis to the Philadelphia youth. His time as a professional has served as a full-circle moment for Dean, who as a youth in his native Mississippi regularly attended after-school programs with the local Boys & Girls Club. Throughout his rookie season, Dean hosted weekly local food drives on his off days. He plans to continue that initiative, and he hinted that more efforts are on the way.

“It’s always a blessing to give back to the Boys & Girls Club,” Dean said. “This is our future, these kids. It’s my passion. Supporting the kids will always be my biggest thing because this program gave me so much.”