The good vibes from the Philadelphia Eagles‘ undefeated start to the 2025 campaign came crashing down in Week 5 when they suffered a 21-17 defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos. With a short week in Week 6, the Eagles need to bounce back from this loss quickly, or else they could find themselves with some real issues on their hands.
Getting some players back from injury would certainly help, and it sounds like one of the team’s defensive starters could be making his season debut in Week 6. That player would be linebacker Nakobe Dean, as he recently received a positive injury update regarding his status for the team’s upcoming clash with the New York Giants.
Nakobe Dean Expected to Make Season Debut in Week 6
Philadelphia selected Dean in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and after a pair of quiet seasons to start his career, he enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024. In 15 games, all of which were starts, Dean racked up 128 tackles, three sacks, one interception, four passes deflected, and one fumble forced, helping him earn a 17th-place finish in the Comeback Player of the Year Award race.
In the Eagles’ wild-card matchup with the Green Bay Packers last year, Dean suffered a torn patellar tendon, which required offseason surgery. While the Eagles would go on to win Super Bowl LIX without Dean on the field, they have missed him early in the new season, as they have been forced to rely more on first-year rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell.
After returning to practice last week, it became clear that Dean was closing in on his return. He appears to be ahead of schedule, though, because he is reportedly already expected to make his season debut on Thursday Night Football, which should provide the Eagles’ defense with a major boost moving forward.
“Eagles standout linebacker Nakobe Dean is expected to make his season debut tomorrow vs. the Giants, sources tell CBS Sports,” Matt Zenitz reported in a post on X. “Has been working back from a knee injury from last year. Workload expected to be limited at first but set to progressively increase throughout the year.”
Eagles Looking to Get Back in the Win Column in Week 6
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts, passing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half on September 28, 2025.
Even though Philly is 4-1, they haven’t exactly dominated their opponents through five games. They are still ironing out some kinks on both sides of the ball, and that’s led to some closer-than-expected games. In Week 5, their struggles finally caught up to them, as the Broncos rallied in the second half to hand the Eagles their first defeat of the season.
While playing on a short week is always tough, the Eagles have an advantageous matchup on their hands against the Giants in Week 6. While rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart led New York to victory in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he came back down to earth in Week 5 with a loss to the New Orleans Saints. With kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Philadelphia will be motivated to get back on track and earn its fifth win of the season.
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