Eagles 2025 Position Group Report Cards: Linebackers

Part 7 of our 10-part Eagles 2025 Position Group Report Cards series turns to a unit that went from afterthought to anchor in two seasons. The linebacker room — led by Zack Baun's continued dominance and infused with rookie talent — was the heartbeat of the NFL's best defense. Here's how each player graded out.

Zack Baun: A+

There's no other way to say it: Zack Baun is the best linebacker in football. After a DPOY-finalist 2024 campaign that seemed impossible to replicate, Baun went out and nearly matched it. His 2025 stat line — 123 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 7 passes broken up, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery — earned him a second consecutive Pro Bowl nod. That's not a fluke. That's a franchise-caliber defender.

What makes Baun special isn't just the counting stats. It's the consistency. He played virtually every defensive snap again, was the defensive signal-caller, and his football IQ under Vic Fangio's scheme continued to elevate. The three-year, $51 million extension he signed last offseason already looks like one of the best deals in the league. At 29, he's in his prime and locked in through 2027. The Eagles have their quarterback of the defense, and he's not going anywhere.

Nakobe Dean: B+

Dean's 2025 season was a story of resilience. After tearing his patellar tendon in the 2024 Wildcard Round win over the Packers — a devastating injury that could have derailed his career — Dean fought his way back and didn't return to the field until Week 7. When he did, he immediately reclaimed his starting spot from first-round rookie Jihaad Campbell.

That tells you everything about how Fangio views Dean's value. In the games he played, Dean looked like the same instinctive, aggressive linebacker who posted 128 tackles in 2024. He was particularly lethal as a blitzer, consistently beating running backs in pass protection to get after the quarterback. His coverage and run defense had occasional lapses, and a late-season hamstring injury cost him the final two regular-season games. But when healthy, Dean is a legitimate starter on a championship defense.

The grade takes a slight hit because availability matters. Between the patellar tendon rehab and the hamstring, Dean only suited up for about 11 games. Now a free agent, his future in Philadelphia is uncertain — he's one of the 'big four' free agents alongside Jaelan Phillips, Dallas Goedert, and Reed Blankenship. The Eagles value his leadership, but his injury history and the emergence of Campbell could push Dean out the door.

Jihaad Campbell: A-

The Eagles hadn't drafted a linebacker in the first round in 46 years. They broke that streak by selecting Campbell 31st overall out of Alabama, and the kid delivered immediately. Despite recovering from a torn labrum, Campbell was a full participant on the first day of training camp — weeks ahead of schedule — and won the starting job outright.

In his first seven games as a starter, Campbell racked up 43 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. His end-zone pick off Baker Mayfield was the highlight-reel moment of his rookie year. He finished the season with 80 tackles, 3 pass deflections, 2 tackles for loss, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 17 games — numbers that earned him a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

The only reason this isn't a straight A is the second half of the season. When Dean returned, Campbell was moved to a reserve role, and his attempts at playing edge linebacker were largely ineffective. He's a natural off-ball linebacker, and that's where his future lies. But the maturity he showed after losing his starting job — no complaints, stayed ready, and produced when Dean got hurt late — speaks volumes about his character. Campbell just turned 22. The ceiling is enormous.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: B-

Trotter didn't see much action on the regular defense with Baun, Dean, and Campbell ahead of him on the depth chart. But he carved out a significant role on special teams, leading the Eagles with 20 special teams tackles — the most on the roster. That's not nothing. In a room this deep, the fourth linebacker needs to earn his keep somewhere, and Trotter did exactly that.

If Dean leaves in free agency, Trotter becomes the primary backup behind Baun and Campbell. He's shown enough instinct and toughness in two training camps to suggest he can handle that role. The bloodlines don't hurt — his father was one of the greatest linebackers in Eagles history — but junior is earning his spot on his own merit.

Smael Mondon Jr.: C+

The fifth-round rookie out of Georgia played all 17 games but was almost exclusively a special teams contributor, logging 289 special teams snaps and just 14 defensive snaps — all in garbage time. Mondon showed enough on special teams (13 tackles, fourth on the team) to suggest he belongs on an NFL roster, but he's firmly in developmental territory on defense. A passing grade for a late-round rookie who stuck on the 53 all year.

Overall Unit Grade: A

This is an A-grade linebacker room, and it starts with Baun. Having one of the top two or three linebackers in football locked up long-term gives this unit an elite floor. Campbell's rookie emergence provides the succession plan that every smart organization needs, and the depth pieces — Trotter and Mondon on special teams — round out a group that contributed at every level.

The one cloud on the horizon is Dean's free agency. If he walks, the Eagles lose a proven starter and a leader in the locker room. But Campbell's readiness mitigates that concern significantly. This isn't the linebacker room of three years ago, when the position was an afterthought in Philadelphia. Howie Roseman and the front office invested real draft capital and real money here, and it paid off with a dominant, championship-caliber unit.

Up next in Part 8: Cornerbacks.