This has not been an easy NFL path for Nakobe Dean, not the journey he envisioned when the Eagles selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. There have been hurdles along the way – notably injuries – and yet Dean is not interested in hearing about the setbacks.
He believes the comeback will be that much greater.
The third-year linebacker has excelled in this preseason and, as the Eagles continue to evaluate their linebacker rotation in Vic Fangio's defense, Dean is very much in the mix for one of the inside positions. He has recovered from a series of foot injuries that last season limited him to five games and kept him in Philadelphia – teeth chattering in the cold – as he went through his physical rehabilitation with the Eagles' Sports Medicine and Performance staff.
It was long work. It was hard work. Dean was at the NovaCare Complex morning and night, battling the physical and mental challenges of the Lisfranc sprain that ultimately ended his campaign after only 182 defensive snaps.
"It definitely was a long road," Dean said. "The injury I had was a tough one, but I feel good now. Strong. Feel like I'm back."
In fact, Dean feels like he's more than back to where he was before the injury. He feels he is a better player in every way – stronger physically after attacking the rehab portion of his recovery and in a better place mentally because, well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
Dean is a fighter who loves the game of football and who has never, ever shied away from hard work. From Day 1 as an Eagle, Dean has been among the first players into the NovaCare Complex and usually the last one to leave. He digs in. He embraces the hard work. And this has been hard, hard work.
When he was able to step back on the field for the spring OTAs and then ramp it up for Training Camp, it's fair to say that Dean was back in his happy place. His happy, happiest place.
Playing football.
"It was amazing to get back on the field and playing football," said Dean, who led the Eagles with five total tackles in Friday night's preseason win at New England after registering a tackle and a pass defensed in 19 snaps at Baltimore. "The injury that I had, it was hard and it was long. I didn't have a day off. I didn't have an offseason. It was at least five days a week all the way up until Training Camp started as far as getting the foot right.
"I'm not back. I'm better."
Better? In Year 3? How does that happen? How do you measure that? Dean feels it. He knows it and he's playing like it as he tries to carve out a substantial role here.
"Every bit of it, I'm better," he said. "I feel like I've been better than in my first two years. The injury, working helped me get back to myself physically, and it made me mentally stronger, spiritually stronger, and has kind of helped lock me in.
"I'm older and I'm maturing and a lot of the little things that I've got to do post-practice, pre-practice to get my body ready to endure a 17-game, 20-game, 21-game season, I'm doing. It has pushed me and I'm clawing my way back."
Where it goes from here is something we will learn as we watch Dean and this defense grow together. But its certainly encouraging to see Dean flying around the field as he did on Friday night, hustling down New England wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk after Dean blitzed, retraced his ground, and chased down Polk after a short gain.
Dean has been physical, instinctive, and looking very much at home in this defense.
"This defense is right for me and what I do," he said. "It very much fits me and so I am embracing it and looking to play my best ball."
This is all very, very exciting for a player who was dominating at Georgia, winning the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award and helping the Bulldogs win a National Championship. He's hopeful that what he is now – better in every way – will translate to the field for the Eagles all season.
"Hard work, that's something I love and this has been hard," he said. "I'm not going to let it stop me. It's pushing me to be better every day."
