Can we be honest? We're a little bummed today. Sure, the Philadelphia Eagles won on Sunday. That eases some tension. Sure, we understand that injuries can't be avoided in a collision sport, but that hasn't helped much. Today is tough.
Maybe we've gotten softer with age, but seeing Nakobe Dean get carted off did something to us. It's hard to explain really. As strange as it sounds, we thought Brandon Graham's season-ending would be the last we'd see in this campaign. We know we can't control such things, but we wish we could.
Latest Nakobe Dean injury news
As it turns out, Nakobe's injury is significant. He was seen leaving Philly's Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers on crutches. He was wearing a leg brace, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo provided an update.
#Eagles LB Nakobe Dean, who was carted off during last night’s playoff win, is feared to have suffered a significant knee injury that would knock him for the playoffs, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2025
He’ll have an MRI this morning to deliver the full news. Dean emerged as a… pic.twitter.com/TPgkZTNydX
Later, Rapoport confirmed Dean has suffered a torn patellar tendon. He is indeed out for the remainder of the postseason.
#Eagles LB Nakobe Dean, at the tail end of a breakout season, suffered torn patellar tendon in his knee and is out for the playoffs, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2025
A tough blow for Philly and for Dean, who has a long road to recovery. He’ll likely miss the start of next season. pic.twitter.com/xtNdv5ttEQ
Frankly, we have enjoyed the violent nature with which Nakobe Dean plays the game. Sometimes, however, your best qualities cost you. That isn't to say Nakobe did anything wrong. He knows one way to play the game, full speed ahead. This is a freak occurence. Our fingers are crossed that we see him on the field soon.
In 2024, he enjoyed his third and best season as a professional. He dealt with injury later in the season but started 15 games and intercepted a pass to seal a victory vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9.
He also notched 128 tackles and three sacks. Others will be asked to step up now, particularly Oren Burks as Dean begins the long road to recovery.
Nakobe battled back from a season-ending injury in 2023 that forced him to miss all but five games. We're confident he'll battle back this time around too. We can't wait for the success story.