How Eagles' Defensive Leader Became The Ultimate Glue

Eagles third-year LB Nakobe Dean enjoys being the leader of the defense.

Oct 27, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) reacts after a turnover by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paycor Stadium. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Veteran Eagles' defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had an interesting take on the "Green Dot" of the defense this week.

"Some guys are more comfortable with it," Fangio said. "There have been some players in the league that don't want it. They just want somebody else to handle it and get the call. They don't want the added burden of it."

For the Eagles that's not an issue because third-year linebacker Nakobe Dean is not only comfortable with the "added burden," he's craved it.

"Nakobe likes doing it," said Fangio.

It was never a debate for Dean, who has really come on during the three-game Philadelphia win streak.

"Ever since I became a linebacker in high school, I was taught linebacker is supposed to be the heartbeat of the defense," Dean told Philadelphia Eagles On SI. "He's supposed to be the vocal leader so it's like that's what is. Like I'm not shying away from the green dot. When they were trying to figure out who wanted to be the green dot I was like 'what do you mean who want the green dot? I want the green dot.'"

Dean traces his mindset back to his college days at Georgia where head coach Kirby Smart and co-defensive coordinators Dan Lanning and Glenn Schumann put a tremendous burnen on Dean in what was a Butkus Award-winning season en route to a national championship for Dean.

"I feel like as a linebacker communication is key," said Dean. "I feel like it also goes back to when I was at Georgia. They used to get on my ass a lot about if the safety isn't get the call or even if we getting signals from the sideline. If the safety didn't get the call or that far corner didn't get the call [they] was yelling at me. [They] wasn't yelling at them as much so I made it my duty to be the communicator, the ultimate glue."

Through the Eagles' 5-2 start this season Dean is already at a career-high 409 defensive snaps with 58 tackles -- seven for loss -- two sacks, five quarterback hits, eight QB pressures, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery in last week's 37-17 rout at Cincinnati.

Against the Bengals, Dean was graded by Pro Football Focus as the second-best LB in the NFL in Week 8. No. 1 was his running mate, Zack Baun, who is the Eagles' dime linebacker and needs to take over the messaging in the rare cases Dean hasn't been on the field.

"When we do go to six DBs and Baun stays in the game, he does it," Fangio explained. "Now, when he does it, it has to be more through signals because you can't have two of them. But if we know Nakobe is not going to -- like at the two-minute drive at the half the other day, which only turned out to be two plays, we put it in Zack's helmet because we went to dime."

When it's a signal system, ILB coach Bobby King is tasked with getting the calls in.

"I feel like the linebackers are the glue," Dean said of the defense.

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