After finally having decent production at the linebacker spots, Philadelphia will restart at the position after T.J. Edwards (Bears) and Kyzir White (Cardinals) departed in free agency.
The Eagles have five off-the-ball linebackers, led by second-year defender Nakobe Dean.
Philadelphia added Nicholas Morrow in free agency and could look to add more to the roster in the coming weeks.
Nakobe Dean
The former Georgia All-American will get his shot at linebacker after watching T.J. Edwards (Bears) and Kyzir White (Cardinals) sign lucrative deals in free agency.
Dean saw action in all 17 games last season, finishing with six total tackles (5 solos) in a reserve role.
Dean ranked T-2nd on the team with seven special teams tackles, and he’ll now look to take the next steps as a downhill run stopper capable of making plays in space when forced into pass coverage.
Christian Elliss
Elliss has spent time on and off the Eagles practice squad since and eventually saw his first game action in the 2021 regular-season finale.
Elliss signed to the Eagles practice squad after training camp last season and saw action in six games, logging seven total tackles (5 solos), including a career-high four tackles against the Giants.
The undrafted free agent created a role on special teams, and he’ll look to parlay that into actual game snaps in 2023.
Nicholas Morrow
Morrow originally signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Greenville College, making the roster out of training camp in 2017.
Philadelphia lost T.J. Edwards (Bears) and Kyzir White (Cardinals) in free agency and only had Davion Taylor and Christian Elliss to pair with Nakobe Dean.
This past season with Chicago, Morrow started every game, recording 116 (83 solo tackles), 11 tackles for loss, and one interception, which were all career highs.
The Eagles hope that he can transition to a weakside linebacker role alongside Nakobe Dean, while matching his production from 2022.
Davion Taylor
Taylor spent the entire 2022 NFL season on the Eagles’ practice squad after seeing time at the WILL linebacker spot in 2020 and 2021.
Drafted out of Colorado as a raw linebacker who excelled as an athlete, Taylor will enter 2023 looking to make the Eagles roster and potentially earn snaps in a rotation.
Shaun Bradley
The former Temple star was selected by the Eagles in the sixth round (196th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
In 2022, Bradley Appeared in 15 games and played 314 snaps on special teams. After logging 6 tackles on special teams last season, Bradley will look to compete for snaps at the WILL and MLB Spots.
Potential wildcard-- Ben VanSumeren
VanSumeren transferred to Michigan State from Michigan in 2021, nearly transferring again last year, before removing his name from the portal and sticking in East Lansing.
Ben VanSumeren is a LB prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.65 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 93 out of 2652 LB from 1987 to 2023. QTing just to get updated numbers #Eagleshttps://t.co/DdoHP02K40 https://t.co/vnmuqFhqEO pic.twitter.com/Qec3npME9u
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2023
A super athletic linebacker who has spent time on both sides of the football, last season was his best after finishing third on the team with 81 tackles while making ten starts with the Spartans.
Potential free agent additions
Deion Jones, LB
Myles Jack, LB
Kwon Alexander, LB
The Philadelphia Eagles could be an ideal landing spot for linebacker Myles Jacks, as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicts that the Eagles will sign the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker.
The 27-year-old Jack remains a free agent after spending last season with Pittsburgh.
Those teams paid Jack a combined $17.8 million over the past two seasons, but a big-money deal is not going to happen in Philadelphia or anywhere else in 2023. If Jack wants to continue playing, though, the Eagles would be an ideal landing spot in terms of national attention. Philly’s deep defensive line should also help keep blockers off of Jack, giving him the best possible chance to make plays. Many Jaguars fans would argue that Jack was unfairly denied a chance to go to the Super Bowl, and going to the Eagles would give the linebacker his best opportunity to make one this season.
