There have been a lot of questions about who the Philadelphia Eagles will re-sign during the offseason and who they will let walk in free agency.
While Jaelan Phillips appears to be a name the Eagles are expected to try to bring back, linebacker Nakobe Dean is another pending free agent who might not return to Philly despite publicly stating he wants to. The Eagles still have to decide on other big names like Reed Blankenship and Dallas Goedert, so someone is going to be highly disappointed if they don't come back.
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler shared everything that he heard from the NFL Combine. While the Eagles are still deciding on Dean, their arch-rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, might not be questioning it as much and could very much be in the conversation to sign him.
"The Cowboys are crafting a detailed free agency plan to bolster their defense. The new scheme under coordinator Christian Parker needs replenishment. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is someone to watch as a green-dot player in the middle of the defense. The Cowboys will monitor the top of the pass-rush free agent options, too. They aren't guaranteed to spend big, but I believe they will get a pass rusher at some point."
Cowboys could sign Nakobe Dean away from Eagles in free agency
In 10 games last year with the Eagles, Dean racked up 55 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection. The big issue with Dean has been his injury history after missing 12 games in 2023 and seven last year, as well as the final three playoff games in 2024.
Dean played a big role on the Eagles' defense in the second half of the season as defensive coordinator Vic Fangio loved using him on blitzes and had a lot of success pressuring the quarterback. That is an aspect of his game that will be missed in Philly if he doesn't get brought back.
The Eagles still have solid options to replace Dean as 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell looked good in his first season in the NFL and should be able to replace him alongside Zack Baun in the starting lineup. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and 2025 fifth-round pick Smael Mondon Jr. make for solid backups who can hold down the fort off the bench.
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No Eagles fan wants to see Dean go to the enemy, but it might be tough after former Eagles defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Christian Parker took the defensive coordinator job in Dallas. Let's just hope that Blankenship doesn't follow Parker to the Cowboys as well.