Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean posted an update to his verified Instagram account’s story regarding his injury status ahead of the 2025 NFL season:
This development confirms the expectation that the Eagles will place Dean on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of the NFL roster cuts deadline.
By doing so, Dean is automatically ineligible to play in the Eagles’ first four games. He won’t count towards the Eagles’ roster limit until if/when he’s officially activated.
Dean has yet to practice this offseason after suffering a torn patellar tendon during the Eagles’ playoff win over the Green Bay Packers on January 12. The team placed him on the active/PUP list to begin training camp, which set the table for him to eventually be transferred to reserve/PUP.
Dean missing time isn’t ideal for his outlook as he enters a contract season. And his role upon returning remains to be seen since Zack Baun is firmly entrenched as a starter and the Eagles are excited about rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell’s potential. Not to mention that both Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon Jr. had encouraging summers.
But that’s a situation for the Eagles to figure out in the future. For now, we know that his return to game action will have to wait until October at the earliest.
