Philadelphia Eagles‘ first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke to the media on August 5, and he had some revealing things to say about his linebackers, particularly Nakobe Dean.
Now entering his third season, it’s slated to be a pivotal one for Dean, who barely appeared on defense as a rookie before missing 12 games due to injury in 2023. He’ll need to stay healthy and perform well on a consistent basis if he wants to change the narrative surrounding him.
So far throughout training camp, Dean has been playing relatively well, although Fangio noted he saw a decline in Dean’s play during the Eagles’ open practice at Lincoln Financial Field on August 1.
“I thought Nakobe had — the first few days of practice — I thought he played really, really good. And (he) took a step back a little bit in the stadium practice,” Fangio said.
Vic Fangio Has Blunt Take on Philadelphia Eagles’ Current LB Play
Vic Fangio says Nakobe Dean “took a step back at the stadium practice” after a couple good days earlier in training camp. #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 5, 2024
Fangio began coaching in the NFL back in 1986 and has long developed a reputation for his blunt and takes. To be fair, he still praised Dean. “Overall, he’s been doing really good,” Fangio said.
The Eagles’ DC was also candid when asked about the team’s inside linebacker play:
I think every defense in the NFL relies on a high level of production from the ILBs, especially with the way the game is being played now. It used to be a position where you could somewhat overachieve and be a tough guy, but when the fullback disappeared and he’s been replaced by a third wideout or a second tight end that’s a good receiver — the game is played in space more, but yet they still run the ball a good deal. So the ILB position has become a more demanding position in the last decade or so and it’s hard not to play good defense without good ILB play.
The Eagles revamped their linebackers room by signing Devin White and Oren Burks in free agency. They also drafted Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the fifth round this year. It remains to be seen how well they all play in Fangio’s scheme.
“We haven’t had a lot of reps in it, but overall, it’s been good at times, not so good at other times,” Fangio added. “We need to win a high percentage of the battles when we go against the running back, and some guys have been good, some not so, up to this point.”
Vic Fangio Is 3rd DC Nakobe Dean Has Working With in 3 Years
Fangio is the third defensive coordinator Dean has worked with over his three seasons in the league (Jonathan Gannon led the defense in 2022, while Sean Desai, a Fangio disciple, led the unit in 2023). Thus, it can’t be easy having to constantly learn and re-learn different schemes and terminology.
It’s early in their working relationship, but Dean seems to appreciate Fangio’s bluntness.
“He’s old school. I feel like everybody loves him,” Dean said about Fangio on July 29, via Pro Football Network’s Anthony DiBona. “Everybody loves his straightforward attitude. How he just tells you straight up if he liked that or he didn’t like it. There’s not too much gray area with him, if you ask him a question.”
It’s clear Dean will need to perform consistently to carve out a roll for himself in Fangio’s defense — and it’s equally clear Fangio will let him know if that’s not happening. We’ll see how it plays out once the regular season hits.
