League sources confirmed that the Philadelphia Eagles starting linebacker Nakobe Dean is expected to miss the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a serious knee injury early in the second quarter during Sunday’s wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Dean is out for the remainder of the playoffs due to a torn patellar tendon in his knee and will “likely” miss the start of the 2025 season. The linebacker was injured in the second quarter after wrangling tight end Tucker Kraft to the ground for a 3-yard loss on a screen play. After being assisted off the field to the medical tent, Dean was carted inside. Prior to exiting the contest, he recorded six tackles, which included two tackles for loss.

Eagels’ cornerback Darius Slay said of Dean: “He’s one of the true leaders on this defense. I know I got the ‘C’ on my chest but if there is someone I want to give my [captaincy] to, it’s him. It’s hurtful to see him go down like that because he is having an amazing year, playing outstanding, and I’m praying for him for a speedy recovery.”

The 24-year-old Dean was drafted in the third round in 2022 out of Georgia. Last season he was sidelined for all but five games due to multiple foot injuries, including a Lisfranc sprain that landed him on injured reserve in November. However this year, Dean was having a breakout season with 128 tackles (the second-most on the team behind Zack Baun), three sacks, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and an interception.

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