The Philadelphia Eagles could end up losing a key defender to an AFC contender this offseason.
The Philadelphia Eagles were able to get into the playoffs during the 2025 NFL season, but their year ended quickly.
In the Wild Card round o the playoffs, the Eagles played host to the San Francisco 49ers. Despite the 49ers dealing with a plethora of key injuries, Philadelphia was defeated at home by a final score of 23-19.
Entering the NFL offseason, there are quite a few questions facing the Eagles. Will they bring back star wide receiver AJ Brown? Is linebacker Nakobe Dean primed to leave town in free agency?
There are many other questions that must be answered, but for now we're going to be taking a look at Dean's upcoming free agency.
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus has named the Buffalo Bills as the best possible free agency landing spot for Dean. Losing the linebacker would be a tough blow for the Philadelphia defense.
"After battling through a patellar tendon injury late in 2024 that cut short a breakout season, Dean returned to the field and continued to perform at a high level. The addition would give the Bills a plus run defender they’re in desperate need of, evidenced by Dean’s 96th-percentile run-stop percentage (10.3%) over the past two seasons," Cameron wrote.
"Dean would give new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard a chess piece to amplify his aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme after posting the second-highest PFF pass-rush grade among linebackers since 2024."
While Dean has openly indicated that he would like to stay with the Eagles, the team may not choose to spend the kind of money he's going to want to receive in his next deal.
During the 2025 NFL season with Philadelphia, Dean played in 10 regular season games. He racked up 55 total tackles to go along with four sacks, two forced fumbles, and a defended pass. Throughout his entire 47-game NFL career, Dean has totaled 226 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and five defended passes.
It will be interesting to see what NFL free agency has in store for Dean. The Bills are a team to watch and so are the Eagles, but there is a very real chance that he departs from Philadelphia.