Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship Agree to Three-Year Deals with AFC Teams

Two pieces from the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning defense are leaving the team.

Per his agent, Mike McCartney, Nakobe Dean is heading to the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $36 million free-agent contract, with $20 million of it guaranteed. The 25-year-old, who was a third-round pick back in 2022, goes to bolster Las Vegas’s defense under new head coach Klint Kubiak in what has been a flurry of signings for the Raiders so far on the first day of free agency.

McCartney also represents Reed Blankenship. Moments after Dean was announced, Blankenship is heading to the Houston Texans on a 3-year, $24.75 million deal. Blankenship will join a Houston defense that was one of the top units in the league last year.

These are now the third and fourth players the Eagles have lost to free agency so far. Earlier today, Jaelan Phillips signed a 4-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. Jahan Dotson also signed a 2-year, $15 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Dean started 27 games for the Eagles over four seasons and became one of the NFL’s best blitzing linebackers. But the Eagles are moving in a different direction. This opens the door for 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell to be the full-time starter, in which he excelled at during Dean’s seven-game absence last season.

Blankenship, 27, signed with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State in 2022 and wasted little to no time earning a roster spot. He started 10 games as a rookie, intercepting one pass and three in 15 games in the following season. He breaks up the “Exciting Whites” duo paired with Cooper DeJean.

Dean has battled many injuries over his time here in Philadelphia, including a torn patellar tendon he suffered in the NFC Wild Card win over Green Bay in the 2024-25 season. He also only played five games in the 2023-24 season due to lingering foot injuries. He played ten games last season and recorded four sacks, two forced fumbles, and 30 tackles. In his entire Eagles career, he departs with 141 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one interception.

Blankenship has always been a reliable starter for the Eagles’ secondary, starting 15 or more games since his rookie season. This is a big hit for the Eagles’ secondary, which has lost a team captain and a cornerstone of the defense. Their successors are going to have to step up big time, as Sidney Brown and Andrew Mukuba are extremely injury-prone.

If Dean had never suffered as many injuries as he did on the Eagles, there’s a real good chance that he would have gotten a way bigger contract from either the Eagles or any other team.

Both players depart as key members and leaders of the defense that blew out the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: