Nakobe Dean injury update: Eagles LB receives diagnosis, timeline for recovery revealed

Nakobe Dean and the Philadelphia Eagles’ worst fear came to fruition as the linebacker was ruled out for the playoffs with a torn patellar tendon, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Eagles LB Nakobe Dean, at the tail end of a breakout season, suffered torn patellar tendon in his knee and is out for the playoffs, per me and Mike Garafolo,” Rapoport wrote on Twitter. “A tough blow for Philly and for Dean, who has a long road to recovery. He’ll likely miss the start of next season.”

During the regular season, he had a career year in his third season out of Georgia. Emerging as the starting linebacker, Dean finally broke through after rookie struggles and an injury in 2023.

Now, he’ll likely miss the start of the 2025 season, a key year for contract purposes after a tremendous campaign this year.

Nakobe Dean ruled out for playoffs

He had 128 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and four pass deflections.

Dean was a third-round pick in 2022 by the Eagles, one of a few Georgia players that were picked by the Eagles. He was a CFP national champion with the Bulldogs in 2021, won the Butkus Award and was a unanimous All-American.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Dean was a five-star recruit out of Horn Lake (Miss.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 3 overall prospect in the state, the No. 5 linebacker in the class and the No. 30 overall prospect in the class.

Philadelphia is scheduled to host the winner of the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET in the NFC Divisional Round.