Eagles Camp Storyline No. 4: Linebacker Shuffle, Who Wins Which Job?

Because of his allocation of resources, general manager Howie Roseman hasn't had much stability at the linebacker position, and this year is no different.

Oct 15, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) dives for yardage against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – The countdown to Eagles training camp is on, with the report date of July 23 shimmering just ahead. The first practice is scheduled for the next day. Head coach Nick Sirianni will kick things off with a press conference at 9:30 a.m. before practice begins at 10 a.m.

As always, there will be storylines as camp winds through the rest of the month and into August. So, between now and then, 10 will be revealed, one per day, beginning with No. 10 and working up to the top storyline.

No. 4: Linebacker shuffle…here we go again

Linebacker stability is never high on general manager Howie Roseman’s priority list, otherwise, T.J. Edwards and/or Kyzir White, both of whom manned the position so well in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LVIII run, would probably still be in town.

Both, however, were allowed to leave after that 2022 season – Edwards to Chicago, White to Arizona.

Gone are Zach Cunningham and Nick Morrow from last year. The newest batch includes three free-agent signings in Devin White, Zack Baun, and Oren Burks, a fifth-round draft pick in Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., a holdover in Ben VanSumeren, an unheralded second-year pro in Brandon Smith, and, of course, Nakobe Dean.

Eagles LB Devin White / John McMullen/Eagles SI

In the spring we saw White and Baun consistently run with the first team. Dean, who everyone thought was a steal when he fell into the third round of the draft two years ago, mixed in with the second team but was used sparingly as the team continued to be cautious with offseason surgery for a Lisfranc injury that limited him to just five games last year.

The guess is Dean, with an extra six weeks to rehab, will work in with the first team once camp begins, and probably win one of the two jobs at that spot. He was, after all, given the reins after a rookie season that saw him sit behind Edwards and White. It was supposed to be his turn, but the foot injury prevented that.

The Eagles would very much like for him to be the next “stable” piece, a la Edwards, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and developed into a solid linebacker. Dean only has this year and next to prove he can be that piece, though the Eagles may let him walk, anyway.

It is important for him to not only have a strong camp, but a healthy one. He cannot afford to miss days with any sort of nagging injury.

White seems to be on a mission to prove that last year with the Buccaneers, and with a new contract very much on his mind, hindered his play, and then he got hurt and lost his starting job. He could turn out to be the best of free agent signings the Eagles made, though Baun could give him a run for that title along with Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Saquon Barkley.

Camp should tell us if defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has any designs on using White as a designated pass rusher, given his ability to sack quarterbacks after collecting 23 of them from his LB spot in Tampa.

Who plays middle liebacker and off-ball linebacker is up for grabs. Will White work the middle and Dean outside, or vice versa? Can Baun fill a starter's role, or will Dean overtake him? Can Burks be more than a special teamer?

Camp should iron out some of those questions, though one word of advice: It would not be wise to invest in a White, Baun, or Burks jersey since they both signed one-year deals and with the Eagles and their linebacker corps, it’s here today, gone tomorrow.

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