‘On the outside looking in’ — Breakout Eagles LB tipped as NFC West’s top free-agent target after major injury and shock first-round draft snub - suong

The Philadelphia Eagles have some tough financial decisions looming in the coming years — mostly on the defensive side of the ball.

If we read the tea leaves, one of those decisions appears to have already been made when it comes to inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, who had a breakout season in 2024 as a full time starter for the first time might but suffered a serious knee injury in last season’s playoffs.

Not only did the Eagles draft a player at Dean’s position in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft with Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, they also signed NFL All-Pro inside linebacker Zack Baun to a 3-year, $51 million contract in March.

That leaves Dean on the outside looking in with Philadelphia … and an ultra-appealing option to many other teams.

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine predicts Dean will be the priority free agent for former Eagles defensive coordinator and current Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon in 2026.

“Jonathan Gannon’s connection to the Eagles is well-known,” Ballentine wrote on Auugust 11. “So if he decides to go the free agent route to upgrade his linebacker corps, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him give his old team a call. The Eagles have a lot of heavy contracts on the books. Spending the money to extend Nakobe Dean might not be a priority for them, but it would give the Cardinals a much more young and exciting option than Akeem Davis-Gaither and Mack Wilson in the middle.”

Cardinals Poached Elite Philly Defender in 2025

If the Cardinals do wind up with Dean, it would be the second consecutive year they’ve added an elite defender off the Eagles in free agency.

Arizona made one of the bigger splashes on free agent defenders in March 2025 when they signed veteran Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat to a 4-year, $76.4 million contract after he led Philadelphia in sacks and was one of the best players on a Super Bowl winning defense.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando called signing Sweat one of the NFL’s best offseason moves.

“Adding Josh Sweat in free agency addressed Arizona’s massive need for proven pass-rush help,” Sando wrote on May 29. “Sweat’s 43 sacks for Philadelphia since 2019 dwarf the totals for any Cardinal over that span … Sweat carries risk with a knee that requires management, but his history with the Cardinals’ coaches assures a solid fit.”

Dean Called NFL’s ‘Most Underpaid Player’

Dean’s career highs in starts (15), tackles (128), sacks (3.0), TFL (9) and fumble recoveries (2) made the 2022 third round pick and 2021 Butkus Award winner one of the NFL’s great values in 2024.

Headed into the final season of his 4-year, $5.2 million rookie contract, Bleacher Report’s Gagnon put him on the list of the NFL’s “Most Underpaid Players” in 2025 — despite uncertainty over his status after suffering a torn patellar tendon against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round.

“Another underrated young NFC East linebacker coming off a triple-digit-tackle campaign (128) making relative chump change on a four-year, $5.2 million rookie contract,” Gagnon wrote on March 28. “Let’s just hope a major knee injury suffered in January won’t cost him significant progress (and money) in 2025 or beyond.”