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In Roob’s Observations: Will Nakobe Dean get a chance to beat out Zach Baun? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Some thoughts on the Nakobe Dean-Zach Baun competition, a look at promising rookie running back Kendall Milton and figuring out who would run on the all-time Eagles 400-meter relay team.
With one preseason game in the books, two to go and opening day now just 26 days away, here’s this weekend’s installment of Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Observations:
1. We’re a couple weeks into training camp, and there still hasn’t been one day where Nakobe Dean opened a practice (or a game) as a starting linebacker. Not one. Dean has been buried behind Zach Baun since OTAs, and unless something dramatic happens between now and Sept. 6, it sure looks like Baun will be the Eagles’ opening-day off-ball linebacker alongside Devin White, and Dean will be a backup and special teamer. Dean occasionally gets 1st-team reps, but he hasn’t started one practice with the 1’s and Vic Fangio hasn’t wavered in his support of Baun, a 5th-year veteran who’s on a one-year contract. Baun is bigger and a little faster than Dean, but I’m not convinced he’s the superior player. After re-watching the Ravens game Saturday, I thought Dean out-played Baun Friday night, and I didn’t think it was particularly close. Baun has had a decent summer, but Dean has actually been fine. I’m really curious to see if anything changes as far as 1st-team reps over the next week or two or whether the decision to go with Baun has already been made. I don’t think Dean is in any danger of getting cut. He should be a core special teamer and backup off-ball backer. Dean played the 2nd-most special teams snaps on the team as a rookie in 2022 (behind Zech McPhearson), and he’s still only 23 so it’s too early to say he’ll never pan out. Fangio seems to like Dean as a blitzer, so maybe there will be a role for him on defense. It’s just crazy how Dean has gone from Butkus Award…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/roobs-observations-nakobe-dean-chance-024629514.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-08-11 02:46:29
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