Philadelphia’s linebacker is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered in January.
The Philadelphia Eagles placed fourth-year linebacker Nakobe Dean on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list prior their first training camp practice. Howie Roseman announced as much on Wednesday morning.
Dean is still recovering from the torn patellar tendon he suffered during the Eagles’ January 13 playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.
By going on the active/PUP list, Dean will NOT be permitted to participate in practice until he’s officially activated. He will still count against the 90-player roster limit in the meantime.
The rules of the active/PUP list allow players to be activated at any point during camp. If they’re not activated before the 53-player roster cut deadline, however, they will be transferred to the reserve/PUP list.
And by going on the reserve/PUP list, a player is automatically required to miss the first four games of the regular season. They will not count against the 53-player roster limit until they are officially activated.
2025 is a big season for Dean since he’ll be a free agent in March 2026. He emerged as a really good starter for the Birds last year but he’ll need to prove himself again coming off a significant injury. Complicating matters for him is that he faces competition for playing time with the Eagles drafting Jihaad Campbell in the first round.
It remains to be seen exactly when Dean will be back. For now, we have more information that there’s a chance he might not play until Week 5 at the earliest.