How Eagles Nakobe Dean won ILB job over presumed starter Devin White

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It was an uneven Week 1 performance at best for Nakobe Dean, who got the start at middle linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles in their 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.

While Dean flew around the field and had some of his signature flashes — like this flattening hit on Packers running back Emanuel Wilson — he also had a couple of nightmarish plays, like a dropped walk-in pick-six in the second quarter.

The Eagles and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio have seen enough to end the debate between Dean and veteran newcomer Devin White: “Nakobe’s the starter,” Fangio deadpanned during Wednesday’s media availability.

White missed Philly’s Week 1 game after tweaking his ankle in practice, but Fangio confirmed reports that Dean would have started over White even if the former Tampa Bay Bucs star had made the 10-hour trip to Brazil. The decision constitutes a slight twist, given that White got the lion's share of first-team reps throughout training camp.

“Obviously, we talked to him about it,” Fangio said of White. “He’s still a good player. He tweaked his ankle last week. He’s still part of it, and will be part of it.”

The Eagles signed White to a one-year contract in March, providing some insurance for Dean as the former third-round pick worked his way back from a season-ending Lisfranc injury throughout the offseason. Dean proved in the preseason games that he was healthy, but the general expectation was that White would start alongside fellow newcomer Zack Baun at middle linebacker.

With White surprisingly missing the season-opening trip to Brazil, Dean was turned loose for a full-time role, logging 64 snaps against the Packers. His performance was a mixed bag of some nice run stuffs — including a key stop on running back Josh Jacobs inside the 5 yard line — and some major miscues in coverage that nearly proved costly.

Nonetheless, Fangio and the Eagles saw enough good things to name Dean the starter over White moving forward.

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“I just think, from the start of camp,” Fangio said, “(Nakobe) won the job.”