Former Georgia LB Nakobe Dean expected to make season debut in Week 6
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Philadelphia Eagles have built their Super Bowl-winning defense with a number of pieces from the legendary 2021 and 2022 Georgia defenses, and Nakobe Dean has been a key part of this strategy.
A 2021 unanimous first-team All-American and Butkus Award winner, Dean was picked up by Philly in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and quickly became an integral part of their elite defensive unit.
Dean was in the midst of his breakout campaign with the Eagles last season before tearing his patellar tendon in his left knee in the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers. This injury has kept the former Georgia standout sidelined over the first several weeks of the 2025 campaign, but that’s about to change this week.
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Dean is expected to make his season debut on Thursday when Philadelphia takes on the New York Giants in a pivotal early-season NFC East matchup.
His workload is expected to be limited at first, but will gradually increase as the season rolls along and he gets more and more up to speed on the field.
With Dean back in the fold, the already-elite Eagles front 7 just got even more lethal. In 15 starts last season, Dean recorded 128 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, and 4 pass breakups.
