Nakobe Dean is named one of the NFL's boom-or-bust free agents

If you're an NFL general manager or you play one on television, and you're looking for a clean, risk-free free-agent projection, Nakobe Dean isn't your guy. If you're looking for impact? That's a different conversation. Just ask any Philadelphia Eagles fan whose number you have in your cellular phone.

When Dean has been on the field, the production hasn't been subtle. In games where he's handled a heavy defensive workload, he has been active. The problem is, as you know, durability is his largest question mark.

Piece enough of his work together, however, and what you have is essentially nearly two full seasons of work. What you find in the healthy version of Dean is an active and disruptive force who is constantly around the football. Tackles pile up. Negative plays show up. Splash moments follow.

But that's where conversations return to injuries. NFL.com recently released NFL free agency: 11 boom-or-bust free agents set to hit the 2026 market. 'You know who' is mentioned, and Matt Okada, the writer of this one, mentions the following for adding Dean's name to the conversation.

"In 2024, when he started 15 games for the Super Bowl champions, Dean finished second on the team with 128 tackles. The former third-rounder, who played minimally on defense as a rookie, has also missed 25 games in his four seasons (including playoffs), mostly due to injury... Now at the end of his rookie contract, Dean will be a high-risk, potentially high-reward free agent linebacker who is excellent as a blitzer and against the run, but who also needs to stay on the field to make a significant impact. Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota, Todd Bowles’ unit in Tampa Bay or new DC Jim Leonhard’s group in Buffalo might all make sense for Dean, who could be a Pro Bowl candidate in the right system if he can stay healthy." 

So, again. There aren't many issues here, but the largest is a major concern. It's about availability, and at this level, that alone is considered a skill.

The evaluation becomes simple with that stated, even if the answer isn't. Is it smarter to bet on the tape or brace for the injury report? How teams answer that question will determine what he is offered. That's the boom-or-bust equation in its purest form.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL free agency: Nakobe Dean makes a list of boom-or-bust players