The NFL can move very quickly.
Consider the Eagles’ off-ball linebacking room. At this time last year, so many in Philadelphia were trying to talk themselves into 2019 No. 5 overall pick Devin White because the Eagles dumped somewhat significant prove-it money on a pedigreed big name.
Fingers were crossed that Nakobe Dean could finally stay healthy to provide competency opposite White, and perhaps fifth-round rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. could hit the ground running because of his familiar surname.
Meanwhile, free agent pickup Zack Baun was advertised as a backup edge rusher and potential special-teams demon for Michael Clay, an understandable evaluation based on his one-year deal for modest money.
On the national front, where the Kool-Aid doesn’t flow quite as freely, the Eagles were often described as having the worst off-ball LB room in the NFL.
Turns out they had the best.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio got a look at Baun and quickly surmised he had the instincts to excel in a stacked position. The fifth-year pro became a playmaking machine en route to first-team All-Pro selection and a top-5 finish for Defensive Player of the Year.
Dean finally became the player he was advertised coming out of Georgia as the Butkus Award winner, as the Eagles’ on-field defensive leader reached a top-10 level himself at the position until a torn patellar tendon ended his season in the wild-card round against Green Bay.
No matter because LB3 Oren Burks, who was signed to a one-year deal near the veteran minimum and was cut and brought back during GM Howie Roseman’s maneuverings at the initial reduction to 53, stepped in and didn’t miss a beat en route to a Super Bowl LIX championship.
Meanwhile, Trotter Jr. did show upside in the limited time he received as a Day 3 rookie.
Fangio and ILB coach Bobby King not only helped the Eagles bounce back from almost worst to the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL, but they also went from perceived worst to perceived best in a position room, the latter of which is extremely rare.
In 12 months, many now believe the Eagles are set up better than anyone else in the NFL at ILB, even after losing Burks in free agency. That’s because of the additions of first-round pick Jihaad Campbell and Day 3 upside selection Smael Mondon Jr., another ex-Georgia defender.
The latest hype comes from a Pro Football Focus contributor.
What can be said without doubt is that the Eagles’ ILB room should be considered a strength with even more upside down the road.
However, for those looking for immediate gratification, patience should be prescribed.
Baun is now entrenched with a three-year extension for big money, but Dean is amid another difficult rehab, and there is no timetable for a return from an injury that could keep him out into the season.
Campbell is also rehabbing from March labrum surgery and Roseman has continuously stressed the timetable on the first-round pick’s upside as a weapon on defense is likely going to be pushed back into the season.
It’s conceivable that the Week 1 ILBs for Fangio are Baun and Trotter Jr.
In the end, the hype is deserved for King’s room even if it doesn’t look like it early in the 2025 season.
