Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman knows he has a ton of tough decisions to make in the offseason, but the only player with more uncertainty than any other player is linebacker Nakobe Dean.
Dean finished the 2025 season with 55 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection in 10 regular season games. He was such a dominant force in the second half of the season, including how Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio used him on blitzes and pressuring the quarterback.
While at the Super Bowl festivities, Dean spoke with PHLY about whether he wanted to return to Philly. The linebacker has not changed his stance since his comments at the end of the season.
"Like I said, I want to stay. I want to stay, but like you say, real conversations have to be had. More real conversations I want to be having the closer we get into free agency, but like I want to stay. I'm pretty sure everybody know that by now I said it about a million times."
Nakobe Dean wants to be in Philly in 2026
Most Eagles fans would love to bring Dean back for the 2026 season, as he made a big difference in the defense when he got back into the picture. The question is whether the Eagles can afford to bring him back.
They still have some big decisions and money to pay to key players like edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and safety Reed Blankenship. When it comes to the linebacker position, there isn't as much of an urgency to bring back Dean.
The Eagles have Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell, who are more than capable of starting. Their backups include Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon Jr., who are young players who could develop into rotational players.
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Roseman rarely re-signs linebackers outside of Baun, but Dean is tough to decide whether to make an exception for. The Eagles might still be smart to save money for other players besides Dean and let him collect a big payday in free agency.