Eagles activate Nakobe Dean in flurry of roster moves
Eagles activate Nakobe Dean in flurry of roster moves originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nakobe Dean will make his return on Sunday afternoon when the Eagles play the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
The Eagles on Saturday activated Dean to their 53-man roster. To create the spot on the roster, the Eagles placed WR Quez Watkins (hamstring) on Injured Reserve. Watkins will have to miss at least four games.
Earlier in the week, the Eagles opened Dean’s 21-day practice window and things went well enough this week for their starting middle linebacker to return. Dean missed the last four games on Injured Reserve after suffering a foot injury in the season opener in New England.
“I think he worked so hard when he was gone just to stay around everything and to be around everything, and really made a push last week,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said on Friday. “When I asked him if he wanted to be at that game last week, he emphatically said ‘yes, I want to be there.’ So mentally I didn't feel like there was a big change of anything because he had worked so hard while he was gone.
“It was just the progression of the week, getting into individual periods, getting into team periods, and making sure that he was ready to go. He's looking like he's going to be there, and we're excited about that as a football team.”
Dean, 22, made his first career start in the opener in Week 1 and played 49 snaps before suffering the injury. This week, Dean said these last four games were the first he’s ever missed with an injury in his entire life.
While veteran Nicholas Morrow filled in well during Dean’s absence, it seems likely the Eagles will give Dean his starting MIKE linebacker job back in Week 6. Zach Cunningham has been the starting WILL linebacker.
In addition to the Dean-for-Watkins swap on the roster, the Eagles also elevated WR Devon Allen and CB Mekhi Garner for Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium. This is Allen’s second elevation and Garner’s first. This will be Garner’s NFL debut.
As a reminder, the Eagles made a few moves already this week. They signed punter Braden Mann to the 53-man roster to fill the spot left by Cam Jurgens’ trip to IR. And then on Friday, they signed CB Bradley Roby to the 53-man roster when they put safety Justin Evans (knee) on IR. Mann and Roby were the Eagles’ elevations from the practice squad in Week 5.
The Eagles on Friday ruled out several players on their final injury report: Jalen Carter (ankle), Darius Slay (knee), Watkins (hamstring) and Evans (knee).
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