Eagles Veteran on the Roster Bubble With Concerning Training Camp Report
By Cem Yolbulan
The Philadelphia Eagles are kicking off their preseason on Friday against the Baltimore Ravens. That means that fans are already making their own depth charts and 53-man rosters before the regular season starts in a month. As training camp continues, we get a better idea of the position battles and who has the inside track to start.
The latest poll among the Eagles media, conducted by PhillyVoice gives us a great insight about the depth chart as it stands now. Jimmy Kempski asked 22 media members who have been following the Eagles training camp about players whose stocks are up or down. The poll suggests that a presumptive Eagles starter may be falling behind in the pecking order after struggling at camp.
Nakobe Dean, who was the starting middle linebacker for the Eagles when available next season, has reportedly fallen behind Devin White and Zack Baun in the rotation. His struggles at coverage have been highlighted as the reason for the demotion.
"His coverage has been alarming. Linebackers have to be able to cover in the modern NFL to get on the field. Dean is behind Devin White and Zack Baun in the LB pecking order."
- Jimmy Kempski, PhillyVoice
This is certainly a frustrating update for Eagles fans. Dean struggled at coverage last season as well, receiving a 49.2 grade on PFF. As good as he is in the run game and the blitz, his lack of improvement at coverage continues to limit his upside as a defender. The former third-round pick out of Georgia has to take a step forward if he wants to be a big part of Vic Fangio's defensive scheme.
The Philadelphia Eagles arguably had the worst defense in the NFL in the second half of last season. That collapse was unacceptable considering the amount of talent on this team. The Eagles can't afford to make the same mistakes if they want to go back to being Super Bowl contenders.
Currently, the Eagles have the sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl at +1400 on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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