Linebacker was one of the biggest needs on the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster heading into free agency. Hence, Las Vegas signed two of them: Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.
We’ve already gotten to know Walker better, so it’s time to get the skinny on Dean. Silver and Black Pride reached out to our friends at Bleeding Green Nation, and Brandon Lee Gowton was kind enough to answer a few questions about the former Philadelphia Eagle for Raider Nation.
Q: What would you say are Nakobe Dean’s biggest strengths and weaknesses?
A: Dean is at his best firing downhill. He’s a strong run defender and absolutely destroys running backs in pass protection while blitzing. He’s very smart, physical, and tough.
Dean can be had in coverage at times. It hasn’t been to the point where he’s an absolute liability in this regard; he’s allowed just an 83.6 passer rating when targeted in his career. But he’s undersized and not the best athlete, so he’s not as good moving backwards as he is a downhill defender.
Q: Why were the Eagles willing to let Dean walk in free agency? Was there ever any talk about bringing him back?
A: If the salary cap didn’t exist, the Eagles would’ve loved to bring Dean back. He’s a really good player and a strong leader, not to mention loved by the fans.
But the salary cap does exist, so the Eagles don’t have unlimited resources to spend. And it makes sense for them to try to go cheaper at a position where they just traded up to select Jihaad Campbell last year. Campbell showed potential as a rookie before ultimately losing his starting job to Dean. In addition, the Eagles have good linebacker depth behind Campbell, with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon Jr. providing glimpses of promise.
There was never serious talk about bringing Dean back since the Eagles needed to save money, open up a spot for Campbell to start, and potentially get some compensatory pick value for letting Dean walk.
Q: Dean’s run defense grade from Pro Football Focus significantly dropped last season, going from an 82.5 in 2024 to 42.5 last fall. While PFF isn’t the end-all, be-all, a dramatic change like this is hard to ignore. What differences in his play did you notice in that phase of the game last year compared to previous seasons?
A: I’m surprised to see that because it doesn’t really match the eye test. He did have the highest missed tackle percentage of his career, according to Pro Football Reference, but it still wasn’t terrible and it wasn’t even much higher than it was in 2024.
It’s worth noting that Dean was coming off a torn patellar tendon; he could’ve been less than 100%. I wouldn’t worry too much about these PFF grades. We’ve seen too much evidence of Dean being strong against the run to suddenly buy into a notion that suggests otherwise.
The only caution I’d put out there is that he’s played behind very strong defensive lines dating back to college. Maybe he could get exposed more if that Raiders DL isn’t strong, but I’ll believe that when I see it.
Q: Coverage-wise, Dean doesn’t have impressive box-score statistics with only one interception and five passes defended over four seasons (47 games). What would you say he brings to the table when it comes to the passing game?
A: As previously noted, Dean is relatively small for his position and not the best athlete. But he can offset what he lacks in pure physical tools to some extent with his smarts and knowing where to be. Again, he hasn’t been a flat-out liability in coverage to this point in his career.
I don’t love him getting matched up against a running back downfield on a wheel route. But I do like it when he’s able to trigger on a tight end who catches a ball in front of him, and he can lay out a big hit. If I’m Dean’s defensive coordinator, I’m trying to get him moving downhill as much as possible.
5) How is Dean as a leader/teammate, and what type of person is he off the field?
A: I couldn’t possibly speak more highly of him in this regard. His teammates and coaches love him. He’s a smart dude who returned to Georgia after making it to the NFL to finish his mechanical engineering degree. I wager Raiders reporters will enjoy talking to him. Raiders fans will enjoy watching him play, assuming he can manage to stay healthy.
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