Philly Leader

Nakobe Dean's 2023 season came to an early end on November 16 when he was placed on Injured Reserve due to a foot injury. However, the linebacker views this as the beginning of his 2024 season. Dean, entering his third year in the NFL, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft after a successful college career at Georgia. In his rookie year, he played a significant role on special teams for the NFC Champions.

Dean expressed resilience regarding his situation: "The mental side is always hard, but we talk about having a dawg mentality all the time and I feel like it starts with being mentally strong," he said. "I'm an optimistic realist, so I'm always real about my situation, but I'm always optimistic."

By February, Dean had progressed out of a walking boot and attributed his recovery to the training staff's guidance. As he approaches full health, Dean faces another challenge—learning a defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio. "You watch film and you see his defenses over the years and how they evolved and different things they do," Dean noted.

The team's dynamic has shifted with new veterans joining, including Devin White. Despite these changes, Dean remains focused on playing: "We [are] all kind of high energy guys who love ball," he stated.

For the upcoming season, Dean aims to be "the absolute best version of myself" rather than setting specific statistical goals. He emphasized earning respect from teammates: "I know I may have been out of sight, out of mind because of the injuries, so I'm here now."