Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio confirmed a major change is coming along the front-seven ahead of Monday night’s Week 2 clash against the Atlanta Falcons.
Following a strong performance in Week 1, Nakobe Dean has been named the Eagles’ starting middle linebacker, seemingly officially supplanting free agent signing Devin White in the key role.
“I just think from the start of camp to the end, he won the job,” Fangio told reporters, when asked whether Dean would remain the starter, even if White returns from an injury.
Dean finished with four tackles in the Eagles’ 34-29 Week 1 victory over the Packers in Brazil, and along with veteran Zack Baun seemed to provide a significant upgrade in Philadelphia’s linebacking corps.
The Eagles had previously hoped that White would provide some veteran stability and big-game experience to one of the weakest position groups on the defense in recent years, but that hasn’t materialized either this summer or now two weeks into the regular season.
White has fallen so far out of favor, that reports surfaced ahead of the Eagles’ opener that the team had been shopping him ahead of final roster cuts last month.
Dean, chosen by the Eagles in the third-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, out of Georgia, seems to be developing into the caliber of player that Fangio can rely on as a steady playmaker in the middle of the defense.
Through his first three NFL seasons, Dean has produced 47 total tackles with half a sack, but seems to have found a rhythm in Fangio’s scheme and could be primed to become a key component in the Eagles’ defense.
