Chargers predicted to add member of Super Bowl champion Eagles to bolster defense

The Los Angeles Chargers had one of the best rosters from top to bottom in the AFC, but Jim Harbaugh would love to fine-tune it before the 2025 season kicks off. Could the team be interested in a potential castoff of the Philadelphia Eagles?

With the 2025 NFL Draft now official, Nate Davis of USA TODAY has put together a list of players who may no longer be in their teams' plans following the selection process. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean makes that list following the first-round selection of Jihaad Campbell. 

Dean's talent is undeniable, but he hasn't had a chance to show it in Philadelphia as the team is a defensive juggernaut and a major injury during the playoffs last season killed the momentum he was building. 

"He finally got the opportunity to start in 2024 and was making the most of it – before tearing his patellar tendon in the playoffs. Now Dean is charged with rehabbing from a very tough injury … in the final year of his contract … and at a time when fellow LB Zack Baun just signed a three-year extension … shortly before the champs spent their first-round pick on LB Jihaad Campbell. Tough run for Dean", wrote Davis. 

Dean made 15 starts for the Eagles last season after starting just four games in his first two seasons combined. His 128 total tackles ranked 24th in the league and he was beginning to settle into a role on the league's top defense. But it's fair to wonder where he stands with the team at this point and he could definitely find himself on the trade block. 

If that happens, Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports sees the Chargers as a potential suitor. 

"The Los Angeles Chargers have been reluctant to address the pass-rushing unit, even though they have all of the cap space in the league. After releasing Joey Bosa, there hasn’t been a capable replacement that seems promising. Instead, the Chargers are rolling the dice on Da’Shawn Hand to disrupt the trenches, but they would be better off re-signing Poona Ford, which they’ve failed to do. Even though Teair Tart is returning, there’s no guarantee he will perform the same since Ford isn’t in the picture anymore.

This pretty much sums up head coach Jim Harbaugh wanting to win football games in the trenches. If they want to stick to his philosophy, they have to get more experience in their defensive unit. Even with Khalil Mack coming back, the team needs more men to make opposing offenses a living hell. Nakobe Dean might have his issues, but he’s better than what the Chargers have", wrote Palacios. 

Dean, who has just 3.5 career sacks, would not be coming to L.A. to be a pass-rush specialist but rather an enforcer in the middle of the defense. Dean is an athletic linebacker who can make plays in the passing game while being a sure tackler. Harbaugh's defense could use some consistency at the position. 

Going from Philly to L.A., Dean would have to make the switch from a 4-3 defense to the 3-4 employed by Harbaugh. If he could handle that well, he could become the top alternate at the inside linebacker position behind Daiyan Henley and Junior Colson and if Colson is still not ready for a starting role, Dean could be one of the team's starters. 

Behind Henley and Colson, the primary backups are Troy Dye and an aging Denzel Perryman. Dean could be a welcomed addition, depending on the price the Eagles were looking for in return.

Dean was a third-round pick out of Georgia in 2022, despite some draft analysts having a first-round grade on him. He won the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in the nation in 2021 and Harbaugh got a close-up look at his abilities as Georgia dominated Michigan in the college football national semi-final that year. 

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