The Philadelphia Eagles got breakout seasons from both of their inside linebackers in 2024, with NFL All-Pro Zack Baun playing his way into a 3-year, $51 million contract and fellow starter Nakobe Dean racking up 128 tackles in his first season as a full time starter.
While Baun is back and healthy for the defending Super Bowl champions, the Eagles suddenly find themselves in a pretty precarious place at the other inside linebacker spot. Dean is coming off a serious injury with a torn patellar tendon. The other option, 2025 first round pick Jihaad Campbell, enters the NFL with his own injury issues.
That’s why the Eagles need to move quickly to sign Kyzir White, the best free agent inside linebacker available. White started 17 games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2024, with 137 tackles, and started 8 games for the Eagles in 2022.
“So, what makes the 2018 fourth-rounder the best remaining off-ball linebacker available in free agency?” Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote on May 31. “For starters, experience. White has been a full-time starter inside in three of the past four seasons, including experience wearing the ‘green dot’ helmet communicator and directing traffic defensively. He has also been productive. In three of the past four years, White has eclipsed 100 total tackles. He has also been good for the occasional big play, registering 7.5 sacks and six career interceptions.”
Dean, Campbell Both Dealing With Injury Issues
It’s not clear when Dean will come back from the torn patellar tendon he suffered in the NFC Wild Card Round against the Green Bay Packers. The typical recovery from that type of injury is similar to an ACL, which means Dean could miss most of the 2025 season.
The Eagles traded up one spot from No. 32 to No. 31, swapping first round picks with the Kansas City Chiefs to take Campbell, who was an All-SEC pick at Alabama in 2024. Philadelphia also sent a 2025 fifth round pick (No. 164 overall) to Kansas City in the deal.
“The Eagles tried to trade up earlier in the draft to get Campbell but it didn’t take,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said during the draft. ” … He did have surgery on one shoulder and will need surgery on the other shoulder and there’s an issue with a knee as well.”
White’s Path to Becoming Reliable NFL Starter
White, 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds, earned All-Big 12 honors as a safety/linebacker hybrid at West Virginia in 2017 with 94 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 7 pass deflections.
The Los Angeles Chargers selected White in the fourth round (No. 119 overall) of the 2018 NFL draft and moved him to linebacker during rookie minicamp.
White earned a starting spot for the Chargers as a rookie but only played in 3 games before a knee injury. He had a breakthrough season in 2021 with 144 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 7 TFL while starting all 17 games. White spent 2022 with the Eagles on a 1-year, $3 million contract, playing all 17 games with 8 starts and 110 tackles while helping Philadelphia make it to the Super Bowl.
White signed a 2-year, $10 million contract with the Cardinals in March 2023 and had 90 tackles in 11 games in 2023 before a torn biceps tendon sidelined him for the final 6 games of the season.
