The rich always find ways to get richer, and the Philadelphia Eagles are absolutely loaded right now. It may have reached a point where they have more mouths than they can feed, at least on the defensive side of the field.
Nakobe Dean proved precisely why he should be a part of this team moving forward. He was all over the field in the 10-7 road win over the Green Bay Packers, and he's been a stud since he returned from injury this season. That puts the defensive coordinator in a bit of a tough spot.
Vic Fangio Needs to Solve The Eagles' LB Conundrum
Dean has played 45, 63, and 65 percent of the snaps since he made his season debut. He has posted a 62.2 PFF grade despite not being a full-time player, and he had seven total tackles (six solo), one tackle for loss, one QB hit, one forced fumble, and one sack in the win over the Packers.
The only problem with that is that the Eagles are already paying Zack Baun $17 million per year. Baun has played every snap on defense in all but two games this season, logging a Pro Football Focus grade of 80, which ranks seventh among all linebackers. With 72 tackles (43 solo), five tackles for loss, four QB hits, five passes defensed, 3.0 sacks, and one forced fumble, there's simply no way to argue with that production.
That might leave rookie Jihaad Campbell as the odd man out. His playing time has dipped in the past two games, going from playing at least 56 snaps in every game to just 21 and 34 in the past couple of outings. He's shown plenty of promise, and it might be a disservice to get him stuck behind in the pecking order.
Campbell already has 50 total tackles (28 solo), two passes defensed, one tackle for loss, one QB hit, and one forced fumble. He's a first-round pick and should be an instrumental part of their future, given that he can also get some snaps at defensive end.
Perhaps the easiest way to solve this conundrum will be to get Baun off the field more often. That should also help him stay fresh for the playoffs. Still, he's the highest-paid of the three, not to mention the most productive.
This is a great problem to have, and it will take a sharp defensive mind like Vic Fangio's to figure out the best solution. But with the day Dean played on Monday night, there's just no way not to get him on the field early and often.