Eagles Staring At Heart-And-Soul Transplant This Offseason

Currently, the organization's emphasis is on the offensive side of the ball, as the Eagles go outside their walls looking for their next offensive coordinator. Dean’s case will be handled eventually.

The good news for him is he finished the season healthy, unlike the past two years, when he had a foot injury at the end of the 2023 season and a torn patellar to rehab through most of 2024. That puts him in a different place heading into the offseason.

“Let me put this out there,” he said. “I thank God that I’m able to come out of the season healthy. The last two seasons, I haven’t had a full offseason to train and hone my skills. It’s been me rehabbing. I feel like I’ve gotten better from the rehab process, so now I can just focus on getting better at my skills instead of just having to focus on rehabbing. I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m thankful, I’m blessed.”

As much as Dean would like to return, it didn’t sound like he would be taking any discounts. There will be at least one team, and probably many others, that, if they're smart, will give him a three-year deal worth more than what the Eagles would be willing to spend.

“It’s a business, and nobody knows the business side of it better than me; I do,” he said. “Having to come back from injury and fight for a spot back two years in a row. Even when you perform and show you can play, you still got people guessing if you can still play.

“I know it’s a business, and it’s time for me to treat everything like a business. While I’ve been here, it’s been treated as a business, but it’s really time now going into free agency and having to do what’s best for you and your family, but I want to be an Eagle.”