Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is more than four months removed from surgery as training camp looms.
There he was at the end of a video the Eagles posted on social media last week, making a backward half-court shot at the Palestra while the Eagles blew off steam during organized team activities.
There he was on the field at the NovaCare Complex, off to the side watching his teammates get ready for their Super Bowl defense over the last few weeks. And there he was in a story on NBC10 Philadelphia, working with an instructor at BalletX on Washington Avenue.
Nakobe Dean is more than four months removed from surgery to repair a torn left patellar tendon, and while he's not wearing a protective brace and is moving around a lot better, the linebacker still is on the road to recovery after a breakout season ended with a devastating injury on Jan. 12 in the Eagles' playoff-opening win over Green Bay.
Training camp is less than two months away, and Dean is still unsure when he'll be cleared for practice.
"I anticipate being ready when I'm ready," he said with a smile when asked if he could be ready by training camp. "We're continuing to work and get better every day."
Dean spent Saturday at his youth football camp on the Team Vick Field at Hunting Park. Dean said it was "a blessing" to hold an event in Philadelphia and remembered attending the camps of former NFL players Brandon Jackson and the Pouncey twins, Mike and Maurkice, when he was a kid.
"Hopefully later down the line, one of the kids comes to me and says they remember going to my camp when they're a little kid," Dean said.
"Trying to make them see that no matter what they want to do, they can do it."
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Dean's breakout 2024 season came as a bit of a surprise. The third-round pick in 2022 won a starting job in 2023, but that season was derailed by injuries. The Eagles added talent to the linebackers room last offseason, but Dean won the job alongside Zack Baun and starred. He racked up 128 tackles, three of them sacks, and two forced fumbles in 15 games. But he had to watch from the sidelines on crutches, a brace on his left leg, while the Eagles celebrated their Super Bowl win.
His long-term future with the Eagles certainly is in question. It's possible that Dean, who is entering the final year of his initial NFL contract, won't be ready for game action at the start of the season. The Eagles have backfilled the linebacker position. They lost Oren Burks in free agency, but added Jihaad Campbell in the first round and Smael Mondon Jr. in the fifth. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. also is entering his second season. The Eagles have options next to Baun.
As the team worked out inside on Wednesday, Dean and Campbell, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, were seen walking back toward the facility, presumably to receive treatment, as practice started.
It's unclear where Campbell, a hybrid edge rusher/off-ball linebacker, ends up lining up with the Eagles. It could, of course, depend on Dean's recovery.
"You just see how big and how much of a physical presence he has," Dean said of Campbell. "All of our rookies, definitely the linebackers, you see how smart they are as far as how they've learned to play and how they've been able to answer the questions that coaches are asking them with confidence."
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Recovery times for patellar tendon injuries vary, but it's typically six months to a year. Dean will be around six months post-operation when the Eagles hit the field at training camp at the end of July. But images of him on the basketball court, taking ballet lessons, and moving around well at things like Saturday's youth camp have people wondering where he is on the road to recovery and if he's ahead of schedule.
"You want to be ahead of schedule," Dean said, again not wanting to reveal much about the timeline. "It's just continuing to work. It seems like I do something every single day that goes toward getting better and getting back to being the best I can for this season. As long as I continue to get better every day, everything else will take care of itself."
Taking care of himself is why Dean landed in ballet classes. He got connected with BalletX through a friend and has been going to class to work on his mobility and pliability.
"It helps with the flexibility, not just with my knee but with my whole body," he said. "You want to stay limber, and you want your movements to be clean. It just helps with that."
He'll save his dance moves for on-field celebrations, he said. When he's able to pull those off is anyone's guess right now.