The Eagles defense was once again playing lights out on Saturday evening against the Commanders, but it didn’t take long for an issue to arrive. Linebacker Nakobe Dean went down after making a tackle on a deep pass by Marcus Mariota, and rolled over grabbing his left hamstring after the play. Dean was able to leave the field under his own power, and walked to the locker room, but was then listed as questionable to return. Shortly after halftime, Dean was downgraded to out.
Dean has had a tough go with regard to injuries, but every time he’s healthy, he’s been hugely impactful. He was able to take the starting job back from rookie Jihaad Campbell, who had been playing pretty well for his experience level, earlier in the season.
Campbell went a whole game without snaps just a few weeks ago, but DC Vic Fangio admitted that probably wasn’t ideal, and had been making a bigger effort to get the rookie on the field more in the weeks since. Now, with Dean back on the sideline, Campbell will get some useful reps down the stretch.
Hopefully Dean’s issue isn’t something long term, and the Eagles could help things by being in position to control their post-season destiny — and maybe get some guys additional rest before the playoff push.
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