Philadelphia Eagles fans are still rolling into Week 17 with some injury concerns with linebacker Nakobe Dean, despite his saying that he's going to be okay.
In the Eagles' 29-18 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 16, Dean went down with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss part of the game. His status for this week against the Buffalo Bills is not known.
While speaking with the media, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was asked about Dean's status for the Bills game, and he didn't exactly ease everyone's minds.
“He’s iffy this week," Fangio said via The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane.
A crushing blow for Eagles if Dean can't play against Buffalo
This would be tough to see since Dean returned in the middle of the season from the knee injury he suffered in the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers last year. Since coming back, he has been a dominant force on the defense, being asked to not only stop the run, but he has also been an elite pass rusher from the linebacker position.
This season, Dean has racked up 55 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection in 10 games with eight starts. Where Dean has separated himself from the rest of the linebackers is that Fangio is using him on blitzes to pressure the quarterback time and again, and it continues to work as Dean uses brute force to break through the line.
Should Dean not be able to go in the game, rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell will be able to fill in for the injured linebacker. Campbell was Dean's replacement at the beginning of the year and did a good job.
Some are wondering about Dean's rest of the season and whether this new hamstring injury will keep him out for long. Fangio was at least a little more encouraging about this update.
“ I don’t think we’re done seeing him this year.”
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For Eagles fans, the most important thing is making sure Dean is ready to go in the NFC Wild Card game against whoever their opponent is that day. As long as he can play in the postseason for the Eagles, they can live with Dean taking two weeks off to prepare his body for the playoffs.