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Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean. Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles stock up, stock down

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 5/30/23

Coming off a loss in Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles seem primed for another run. Here are players whose stock is trending up—and down—for 2023.

Stock up

Nakobe Dean, linebacker: Although many believed Dean was the steal of the 2022 NFL Draft, the former Georgia Bulldog played only 34 snaps last season. Mainly a special teamer, he played behind linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White all season.

But after losing Edwards and White to free agency, the team expects Dean to take over at middle linebacker. Even in limited action, Dean showed flashes of the player he can be. On his first snap against the Titans in Week 13, he made a one-armed tackle on Derrick Henry. Later, he tackled Julius Chestnut behind the line of scrimmage for the first tackle for loss of his career.

Philadelphia didn’t draft a linebacker this year, and in free agency, it added LB Nicholas Morrow, who has 46 starts with the Bears and Raiders. The team could add another veteran, but for now, Dean looks to be the man in the middle of the defense.

Nakobe Dean’s intelligence is off the charts, he sees plays happen before they develop. Exceptional processing and reaction time; kid is gonna be a star. pic.twitter.com/UR1yhZ9Pyj
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) December 6, 2022

Milton Williams, defensive tackle: He may not be a household name, but in his second NFL season, Williams proved to be a valuable piece of Philadelphia’s defensive rotation. He had 36 tackles and four sacks last season and was effective against the run.

According to Pro Football Focus, Williams didn’t miss a tackle in 2022 and his 73.5 run-defense grade was the highest on the team. After overcoming early toe and elbow injuries last season, Williams had four sacks, 29 tackles, nine tackles for loss and five QB hits in his last 11 games. With those numbers, don’t be surprised if he gets more snaps than 32-year-old Fletcher Cox this season.

Stock Down

Derek Barnett, defensive end: The Eagles drafted Barnett—Tennessee’s all-time sack leader—with the 14th overall pick in 2017. As a rookie, he had five sacks and 16 quarterback hits, but he has done little to impress since.

The 26-year-old defensive end missed all of 2022 with an ACL tear and had just two sacks in 2021. He signed a three-year, $15M deal last offseason, but his dead cap number is low if the team decides to trade him. With teammates such as Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and rookie Nolan Smith looking to play significant roles, Barnett could be the odd man out in 2023.

Quez Watkins, wide receiver: If Watkins were wondering where he stood after three years with the Philadelphia Eagles, the team made its intentions clear by signing former Atlanta Falcons receiver Olamide Zaccheaus before the draft.

Watkins' stock was up in 2021 after he caught 43 passes for 647 yards as the team’s No. 2 receiver. However, once A.J. Brown joined the team in 2022, his numbers took a hit. Watkins caught only 33 passes for 354 yards last season and had a critical drop in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs.

Dropped passes have been a problem for the Watkins. According to Bryan Knowles of Football Outsiders, he had 14 failed receptions in 2022, and his 42.4% failed completion rate was the second worst in the NFL. Watkins is no lock to even make the 53-man roster.

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