Nov 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) reacts after sacking Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (not pictured) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

Arizona Cardinals Projected to Target Eagles LB

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals spent plenty of resources on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, though their work might not be done.

Arizona spent hefty money in free agency, signing veterans such as Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson to their unit on top of making six of their seven picks in the 2025 NFL Draft on the defensive side of the ball.

Now, the Cardinals should have one of the better defenses in the game - though Bleacher Report believes a current Philadelphia Eagles linebacker should be their top target next year.

Arizona Cardinals Urged to Target Nakobe Dean

Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine with more:

"Jonathan Gannon's connection to the Eagles is well-known. So if he decides to go the free-agent route to upgrade his linebacker corps, it wouldn't be surprising to see him give his old team a call.

"The Eagles have a lot of heavy contracts on the books. Spending the money to extend Nakobe Dean might not be a priority for them, but it would give the Cardinals a much younger and exciting option than Akeem Davis-Gaither and Mack Wilson in the middle."

The Cardinals have shown a willingness to bring on former guys that have played under Gannon, and if Arizona isn't satisfied with either Davis-Gaither or rookie Cody Simon in 2025 - perhaps the organization could look to upgrade the middle linebacker position.

How likely is that?

Arizona's defense isn't constructed to need pristine production from their interior linebackers, though the early returns on Simon appear to be just fine.

"He did a really good job. I thought he played well too. Made some plays in there, executed well, handled everything that we needed him to handle," head coach Jonathan Gannon said of Simon after his preseason debut.

Dean - a third-round pick by the Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft - has 171 tackles in 37 games. He's played 17 games just once in his three-year career.

With plenty of time available to change based off projections, the Cardinals are only projected to have a mere $13 million in cap space in 2026.

This article first appeared on Arizona Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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