The Philadelphia Eagles will be down a man in their linebacker room when they take on the Green Bay Packers on Friday night.
Veteran linebacker Devin White did not travel with the team to Brazil on Wednesday after being ruled out with an ankle injury.
Head coach Nick Sirianni did not have much to say about White's injury when asked on Thursday.
"Yeah, Devin tweaked his ankle the other day in practice," Sirianni said. "The guys are ready. The guys behind him are ready. They’re ready to go, and excited about the opportunity for them.
"Again, it’ll be a first opportunity for all of us playing in this game, the first chance we get to go in 2024."
Although Sirianni would not confirm who the Eagles turn to at the right inside linebacker starting position, all signs point toward third-year linebacker Nakobe Dean.
"Yeah, I think he’s had a good camp," Sirianni said. "He’s been consistent throughout camp. Again, you’re right, I’m not going to say who’s going to play here or who’s going to play there, but Nakobe has definitely shined throughout camp with his leadership, his play making ability, his tackling.
'I’m really excited for Nakobe’s opportunity tomorrow. He’s a really good player. He’s battled some injuries throughout, but we’ve sure as heck been excited about him from the moment he stepped into this building. Look forward to an opportunity that he gets tomorrow to play in the season opener."
Dean was projected to have a breakout season last fall, but injuries kept him from doing that as he landed on injured reserve twice.
His first injury to his right foot happened during the season opener against the New England Patriots, which kept him out until Week 6. He was available for four weeks until he landed on injured reserve again, this time with a left foot injury following the Eagles' Week 9 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
He did not return to the lineup after undergoing surgery.
Through five games, the former 2022 third-round pick out of Georgia logged 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a half sack for the Eagles in 2023.
The Eagles also have rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and veterans Ben VanSumeren and Oren Burks to lean on at linebacker.
