Eagles activate Nakobe Dean from injured reserve ahead of matchup with New York Jets

The Eagles activated inside linebacker Nakobe Dean from injured reserve on Saturday ahead of their Week 6 road matchup against the New York Jets.

In a corresponding move, the Eagles placed wide receiver Quez Watkins (hamstring) on injured reserve.

Dean, the second-year linebacker out of Georgia who earned a starting role out of training camp, sustained a foot injury in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. He went on injured reserve a few days later, missing the next four games of as a result.

On Tuesday, the Eagles opened the 21-day practice window for Dean. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and was upgraded to full participation on Friday.

“I think he worked so hard when he was gone just to stay around everything and to be around everything, and really made a push last week,” coach Nick Sirianni said of Dean on Friday. “When I asked him if he wanted to be at that game last week, he emphatically said, ‘Yes, I want to be there.’ So mentally, I didn’t feel like there was a big change of anything because he had worked so hard while he was gone. It was just the progression of the week, getting into individual periods, getting into team periods, and making sure that he was ready to go.”

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Not only was Dean the Eagles’ starting middle linebacker in the season opener, but he also was the defensive play-caller responsible for relaying information from defensive coordinator Sean Desai. While he was on injured reserve, the Eagles turned to sixth-year veteran Nicholas Morrow to start and take over green-dot duties alongside seventh-year Zach Cunningham. Both of them are in their first season with the team.

Watkins, an Eagles’ 2020 sixth-round pick, missed Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Week 4 against the Washington Commanders with a hamstring injury. The slot receiver returned to action last week against the Los Angeles Rams, collecting 4 yards on two receptions. He popped up on the injury report on Friday and was listed as a nonparticipant after practicing on Wednesday and Thursday.

It is unknown if Watkins’ previous hamstring injury is related to his current injury. Through three games this season, Watkins has four catches for 21 yards.

With Watkins on injured reserve, the Eagles likely will turn once again to fifth-year receiver Olamide Zaccheaus to take over Watkins’ snaps in the slot. When Watkins missed two games, Zaccheaus played 105 offensive snaps and had three receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.

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The Eagles also elevated wide receiver Devon Allen and cornerback Mekhi Garner from the practice squad to the active roster.

Allen, a 2022 undrafted free agent out of Oregon, has already been elevated once this season when he made his NFL debut against the Buccaneers. He had one kick return for 17 yards and did not take any offensive snaps.

Garner signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of LSU this year and was added to the practice squad following cutdown day. This is his first elevation with cornerback Darius Slay already ruled out with a knee injury.

Cornerback Sauce Gardner will officially miss the first game of his NFL career on Sunday.

The Jets downgraded Gardner to “out” because of a concussion, meaning New York will have an even more patchwork secondary.

Along with Gardner, defensive backs D.J. Reed, Brandin Echols, and Justin Hardee (placed on injured reserve on Saturday) also will sit.

The Eagles visit the New York Jets on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from MetLife Stadium.