Eagles have a secret weapon they should be playing more

A player on the Philadelphia Eagles defense may have earned himself some extra playing time based off his performance in Week 13.

The Philadelphia Eagles figuratively and literally bought in this past year, bolstering their roster to give them a chance to contend. Well, 13 weeks into the 2022 season, the Eagles hold the best record in the entire NFL at 11-1.

Philadelphia earned their 11th win of the season after wide receiver A.J. Brown torched his former team, while Jalen Hurts threw for 380 yards. There was another player who put up some great numbers, and probably earned himself some more playing time for the team.

That player is rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean.

Nakobe Dean deserves more playing time after strong game vs. Titans

Dean was a star linebacker for the Georgia Bulldogs football program from 2019 until 2021. Of course, that 2021 team featured an absolutely dominant defensive staff, which included Dean and fellow Eagles teammate Jordan Davis.

While he was a projected high-draft pick, his stock dropped due to a pectoral injury that he picked up during the pre-draft process. So, he fell to the third-round, and the Eagles swooped in to select him.

Dean hasn’t logged much playing time this season, but that all changed against the Titans, as he filled in for an injured Kyzir White. Even though it was only for 15 snaps in the fourth quarter, Dean made the most of them.

In that limited number of snaps, Dean tied with linebacker T.J. Edwards to lead the entire Eagles defense in tackles with six.

Not to mention, he picked up a tackle for loss when he burst through the line of scrimmage to bring down Titans running back Julius Chestnut. You can also see how quick he is when sensing where the quarterback is going to throw the ball, as evidenced by him running across the football field to tackle tight end Geoff Swaim.

It’s unknown what the Eagles have in store this weekend for Dean. They are set to take on the rival New York Giants, who haven’t won a game since Week 10 against the Houston Texans. A win will help Philadelphia clinch a playoff berth.

If this past week showed anything, it’s that Dean’s future is bright in Philadelphia.