Defensively, the Eagles again have “an embarrassment of riches” that could prompt another free-agent purge 🛡️💸. After last season’s win, edge players Milton Williams left for the Patriots on a four-year, $104 million deal and Josh Sweat joined the Cardinals on a four-year, $76.4 million contract, underscoring how talent on that unit could be reshuffled.
Looking ahead to 2026, inside linebacker Nakobe Dean could be priced out of Philadelphia. Spotrac projects a four-year, $61.9 million contract in free agency 💰🏥, and several factors support a potential exit: the sizable deal already given to fellow inside linebacker Zack Baun, Dean’s injury history (tore a patellar tendon in the Wild Card win and missed time in 2025; Lisfranc injury in 2023), and the team’s ongoing evaluation at the position.
The Eagles also invested in a potential replacement in 2025: first-round pick Jihaad Campbell. Campbell appeared in all 17 games, started 10, and totaled 80 tackles, but he became mostly an afterthought once Dean returned from injury 🧩📉. With Campbell in the mix and the club’s broader defensive surplus, keeping both Dean and Campbell may not be sustainable.
In sum, the Eagles could part ways with Dean in free agency as cap realities, injury histories, and a clearer path for Campbell complicate a deal that once seemed likely to be a lock 🧭🔮. The defense remains talented, but the combination of organizational changes, and the need to reallocate money, suggests a continued reshaping of the roster as 2026 approaches.
