Eagles Rumors: Nakobe Dean Expected to Miss Multiple Weeks With Foot Injury

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to be without a key member of the defense, at least in the short term.

According to multiple reports, linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a foot injury Sunday expected to keep him out for at least multiple weeks:

Dean, 22, got off to a strong start this season, registering seven tackles against the New England Patriots in Philadelphia's 25-20 win.

The second-year linebacker ascended to the starting lineup this season after Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards, last year's starting pair, departed in free agency. That left Dean, a 2022 third-round pick out of Georgia, and free-agent addition Zach Cunningham as replacements.

Dean was a star in college for the Georgia Bulldogs, with 168 tackles (13.5 for loss) between the 2019-21 seasons. He was an All-American selection in 2021, though dropped to the third round potentially due to injury concerns.

Cunningham, 28, had four tackles on Sunday. The former Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans linebacker had at least 90 tackles in each of his first five seasons and led the league in tackles in 2020 (164), though injury issues limited him to just six games last year.

The Eagles are now incredibly thin at linebacker, with only Christian Elliss left on the 53-man roster alongside Cunningham. Potential help is on the way, however, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the team was signing Rashaan Evans to its practice squad.

Evans, 27, was a first-round pick of the Titans in 2018 and has posted 90 or more tackles in three of his professional seasons, including 159 last year with the Atlanta Falcons. But Atlanta chose not to re-sign him this past offseason as they revamped their defense.