Eagles LB Nakobe Dean Reveals His 'Beauty of The Game'

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean takes a cerebral approach to the game, but will now be in charge of manning the huddle and barking out defensive signals

PHILADELPHIA – Nakobe Dean became a student of the game from a very young age, understanding that he would have to have a more cerebral approach to football than most if he wanted to see how far he could take the game.

He grew it all the way to the NFL, and when the curtain goes up on the Philadelphia Eagles’ regular season in New England on Sept. 10, he will be cast in a starring role a year after being an understudy to T.J. Edwards.

“When you were young, that’s what separated you the most,” he said about adopting a cerebral style of play. “If you weren’t always the fastest, the biggest, the strongest, which I’ve never been ever, so it was like being cerebral I was always being smart, being able to study plays and know what was coming at a young age."

One of the definitions of cerebral is “involving careful thinking” and “mental effort.”

That fits Dean to a tee.

“I love it because people who don’t know much about football on the outside looking in might think it’s just about running and hitting,” he said. “If you’re able to go tackle somebody, be tough, be strong and you can play football, it’s not always the case. 

"It’s a lot of thinking that goes with it, it’s a lot of scheme stuff that goes into it. I feel like that’s the beauty of the game to me.”

Nakobe Dean / USA Today

Much is expected from the second-year linebacker following a rookie year in which he played just 34 defensive snaps.

“Of course, it feels different, but it doesn’t feel too much different because I went into last year the same way – attacking it, attacking the first game and I’m going to attack it this year,” said Dean. “I’m taking a step up and every year after that, too.”

It begins with this season, of course.

Dean will be the voice of the defense, taking whatever is relayed to him through his communication inside his helmet from defensive coordinator Sean Desai. That’s something that will be different from Dean’s college days at the University of Georgia.

“Well, there’s no signals (in the NFL),” he said. “It’s literally just you getting the play call. Looking toward the sideline in college, anybody can look to the sideline and get the ball, so being able to man the huddle, I’ve leaned on veterans like Fletch (Cox) how they like the huddle, how they like me to get them the call, how they like me to say a certain call to make sure everybody gets the right call. So, just different things like that."

It was a role handled by Edwards the past couple of seasons, but Edwards is now stationed in Chicago after signing with the Bears during free agency.

The new linebacker has the confidence of his teammates, including defensive tackle and former Georgia teammate Jordan Davis.

“Well you know this is a regularly scheduled program with Nakobe hearing calls from Nakobe, four years now,” said defensive tackle Jordan Davis. “From college, I know he’s more than capable of making those calls. I love how he communicates with us.”

Dean said it is important to be loud and clear and fast with his calls without stumbling over his words. Being concise, he said is paramount.

“This offseason, when I was conditioning, in between reps, I made sure I called a play call because when you’re out there you’re going full speed, you’re going to be tired and you have to make a play call,” he said.

The Eagles have great leaders on the defensive side of the ball, with Cox, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Darius Slay, and James Bradberry, but Dean will be stepping into that role as well, along with another second-year player, safety Reed Blankenship.

“I’m extremely excited,” said Dean. “I was extremely excited last year no matter what. It’s football season and how blessed you are definitely this time of the year. 

"You kind of reflect back on how blessed you are to be in a position to even play this sport that you love, so it’s nice to be able to be a part of the team that’s worked as hard as us, put in the hours, I’m blessed and of course, I’m excited for the season."