Who Should I Start? Nakobe Dean or Drake Jackson

Saturday, May 24, 11:14 AM

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (knee), who is recovering from the torn left patellar tendon he suffered in the wild-card round of the playoffs last season, has taken up ballet to become lighter and more agile. "There's way more flexibility, of course. Way more mobility," Dean said of the results of his ballet training. "It's definitely something that's helping with my rehab." Last year, Dean and Zack Baun were the Eagles' top two tacklers, with Dean contributing 128 to go with three sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. The 24-year-old played a career-high 815 defensive snaps in 2024 in 15 games and was an elite run-stopper for Philly's strong defense. Dean finished as the No. 14 linebacker in IDP fantasy leagues in his third year in the NFL. He is likely to be ready for the start of the 2025 season this fall, but don't be surprised if the Eagles manage hi workload carefully early on.

Monday, July 29, 5:01 PM

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson (knee) will miss all of training camp as he recovers from patellar-tendon surgery that ended his season after just eight games in 2023. "We've got to see how rehab continues to go, but definitely not any time in camp," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Anytime you do that type of surgery that he had. those are big surgeries. They're tough to come back from. You never know how they're going to react. We always know it's a possibility to take a long time, and it's taking a long time." The second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft has posted six sacks through his first 23 NFL games. Recently signed defensive end Leonard Floyd is expected to start opposite Nick Bosa to begin the 2024 campaign.