The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t fall flat in their attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champions because of their defense — you can make an argument they were playing as well as anyone in the NFL on that side of the ball at the end of the season.
The reason the Eagles failed was because their offense failed, and that side of the ball will get what should be a pretty massive makeover with a new offensive coordinator coming in after Kevin Patullo was fired after one season.
On defense, for a second year in a row, there’s essentially an embarrassment of riches that could lead to another purge in free agency.
After last year’s Super Bowl win, defensive end Milton Williams land a 4-year, $104 million contract with the New England Patriots and edge rusher Josh Sweat to the Arizona Cardinals on a 4-year, $76.4 million contract.
In 2026, it probably means the Eagles won’t be able to keep inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, who has established himself as one of the NFL’s best players at his position over the last 2 seasons.
Dean Ready to Cash in With Free Agency
Spotrac projects Dean will receive a 4-year, $61.9 million contract in free agency.
Dean played the last 4 seasons on a 4-year, $5.2 million rookie contract after the Eagles drafted him in the third round (No. 83 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft out of the University of Georgia.
While Eagles fans might really want Dean back, there are several things that indicate his time in Philadelphia has come to an end.
The first problem is the contract of fellow inside linebacker Zack Baun, who signed a 3-year, $51 million contract with the Eagles following the Super Bowl win and it’s hard to imagine the team investing that much money at a position that’s traditionally undervalued.
Another hurdle is Dean’s own injury history. He tore his patellar tendon in last seasons NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers and missed the first 7 games of the 2025 regular season as he recovered from the injury. In 2023, he missed 12 games with a Lisfranc injury to his foot.
The final problem with Dean coming back is probably the most significant — the Eagles have already tried to replace him.
Eagles Spent 2025 1st Round Pick on Replacement
In the Eagles’ season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round, there was one pretty telling statistic no one spent a lot of time on — rookie inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell logged just one defensive snap.
That’s significant because the Eagles traded up to select Campbell in the first round (No. 30 overall) in the 2025 NFL draft and signed him to a 4-year, $14.9 million contract. He played in all 17 games as a rookie and started 10 games — mostly when Dean was still recovering from his torn patellar tendon.
Once Dean came back, Campbell quickly became an afterthought and finished his rookie year with 80 tackles, 2 TFL, 3 pass deflections, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.
All that being taken into account, it just doesn’t seen sustainable to keep both Campbell and Dean on the roster moving forward.
Eagles Could Part Ways With Projected $61 Million Free Agent