Nakobe Dean injury: Eagles linebacker on crutches after Packers game

Eagles first-team All-Pro LB Zack Baun will wear the green dot helmet with Nakobe Dean sidelined.

The Eagles defense was playing lights out against the Packers in their Wild Card matchup, but they didn’t even make it to halftime before injuries started stacking up. First, Darius Slay had his elbow looked at before heading into the locker room, and then Nakobe Dean had to be helped off the field later in the drive.

The LB seemed to know that his injury was serious right away, and after the game, was seen walking with a crutch and full-leg brace.

Dean made a good tackle in the second quarter, but stayed down after the play. Zack Baun called over trainers and they eventually helped the LB to the sideline. He had to be carted to the locker room, and then was ruled out with a knee injury shortly afterward.

With Dean off the field, Baun will take over the green dot helmet and handle communication from the coaches. The Eagles have Oren Burks and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. as their linebacker depth, and both are capable of stepping up and have quite a bit of experience from this season. Still, Dean’s injury history is concerning, and hopefully this isn’t another thing he’ll have to deal with long term.

Dean and Slay only briefly overlapped in the locker room, with the veteran CB returning to the sideline and getting back into the game before halftime.