Eagles Lucky with Nakobe Dean Injury; Worries on Durability and Depth?

After watching T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White play 20 consecutive games at LB last season, the Philadelphia Eagles didn't make it 60 minutes with Nakobe Dean.

Things were going well for Philadelphia Eagles' linebacker Nakobe Dean in his first NFL start before things derailed during the third quarter of a 25-20 win at New England.

The second-year pro became tangled up while trying to make a tackle and was forced to leave the game. He finished with seven tackles and an excellent run-support grade from Pro Football Focus, albeit with some struggles in coverage.

Overall, it would have been a very promising debut had Dean hit the finish line but failing to do that brought durability concerns bubbling back up to the surface.

After the game, the 2021 Butkus Award winner at Georgia was spotted in the locker room with a walking boot on his right foot, indicating that Dean wouldn't be going back-to-back over a five-day span with Minnesota looming in Week 2 on Thursday night.

An MRI Monday morning was more about short-term vs. long-term and the Eagles got the best news possible when it was revealed that the 5-foot-11 linebacker, who is generously listed at 231 pounds would be missing multiple weeks but wouldn't need surgery.

The thought is that Dean will be a candidate for short-term injured reserve, a source told SI.com's Eagles Today with the Eagles playing things cautiously while needing a roster spot to either promote veterans Nicholas Morrow or Rashaan Evans from the practice squad.

Evans, a 2018 first-round pick, was signed to the PS Monday in the wake of the Dean injury. The Alabama product has extensive experience with both Tennessee and Atlanta, starting all 17 games for the Falcons last season when he accumulated 159 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries. Evans was ranked No. 52 of 81 off-ball LBs by Pro Football Focus last season.

The Eagles put many of their defensive eggs in the Dean's basket after allowing both 2022 starters at off-ball LB -- T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White -- to leave via free agency.

Dean was the defensive leader with the green dot and was replaced by Christian Elliss opposite Zach Cunningham at LB and those were the only three off-ball linebackers on the Eagles' 53-man roster. Safety Reed Blankenship handled the defensive calls in Dean's absence.

The practice squad features undrafted, athletic rookie Ben VanSumeren along with Morrow and Evans.

The short-term answer is likely going to have to be Morrow because it's hard to imagine Evans can get up to speed by Thursday night for the Vikings but the subsequent mini-bye should provide Evans an opportunity to get in the mix by Sept. 25 in Tampa.

"We are really confident in him," head coach Nick Sirianni said of Morrow on Monday. "That's why he's on our 69-man roster. We believe in him. We believe in the things that he can do. We believe in his style of play, his physicality, being able to line up the defense. 

"A lot of confidence in Nick, and if he has to go, in that role, I'm excited to watch him roll for his opportunity."

As for Dean, few question the young linebacker's abilities or football IQ but after watching both Edwards and White as 20-game constants during the run toward Super Bowl LVII, it's hard to not be reminded of a standard NFL cliche: the best ability is availability.